Rights groups petition court to end restrictions on Gaza imports

Six human rights groups file a petition to the Supreme Court calling for the immediate lifting of restrictions on the entry of goods to the Gaza Strip.

Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman earlier this month ordered a freeze on the shipment of gas and fuel into Gaza, following an initial clampdown in July on the flow of goods through the Kerem Shalom border crossing. The restrictions were ordered due to ongoing violence on the Gaza border, particularly the launching of incendiary airborne devices toward Israel.

In a statement, the rights groups say the restrictions have led to shortages of basic goods in Gaza and are “inflicting immeasurable damage” to the Strip’s already struggling economy.

“Even before the closing of Kerem Shalom was announced, the crossing failed to supply the population’s minimal needs. And so, rather than take measures to prevent the demise of a population of two million people, the respondents are acting to further deteriorate the humanitarian and economic situation in the Gaza Strip… with complete disregard for the destructive implications of their decision for the civilian population,” they write in the petition.

The groups that filed the petition are Gisha, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, HaMoked: Center for the Defense of the Individual, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, Adalah, and Physicians for Human Rights Israel.