World urges Israel to lift blockade

Turkey: Turkish President Abdullah Gul says world leaders are urging Israel to lift its blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has caused a serious humanitarian crisis there.

“The blockade going on Gaza is not a legitimate one, and all international organizations and all leaders are urging Israel that these embargos and blockades should be lifted,” Gul told Press TV in an exclusive interview.

World leaders “from President Obama to European leaders — not only the Muslim leaders’ side — [are] calling on Israel to do this,” he emphasized.

“So definitely this problem is not the problem of only Palestinians or not the problem only for the Arabs, it is problem of all Muslims and all the humanity who really care [about] the violation of human rights ... Therefore, Turkey is very sensitive in this issue,” Gul said. The deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza comes years after June 2007 when Israel and neighboring Egypt shut down Gaza’s borders and tightened a siege already in place.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees has warned that years of the Israeli blockade against Gaza have seriously deteriorated the humanitarian crisis in the impoverished Palestinian land.

The flagging economy of Gaza has been shattered by the siege and the 22-day Israeli assault at the turn of 2009, which devastated scores of houses, building and a huge part of the territory’s infrastructure.

Thursday,Press TV