Development

During the recent Israeli invasion of Nablus on August 23, a number of shops, homes and public property were destroyed. Israeli forces killed two young Palestinians and a number of others were wounded and arrested.

Civil society organizations committed themselves to pressure their governments to condemn the construction of the “wall” by Israel as part of its pattern of illegal settlement activity, according to the Plan of Action adopted this afternoon at the conclusion of the United Nations International Conference of Civil Society in Support of the Palestinian People.

The UNDP Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People is appealing to the international community for US$18 million in emergency aid for communities affected by Israel’s construction of a series of walls, fences, trenches and barriers, commonly known as the “separation wall,” in the West Bank.

NEW YORK, 2 September — The Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People will convene the United Nations International Conference of Civil Society in Support of the Palestinian People at United Nations Headquarters in New York on 4 and 5 September. The holding of the Conference is mandated by General Assembly resolutions 57/107 and 57/108 of 3 December 2002.

During 2002, half of the Palestinian population was unable to consult their usual health services, due to border closures and curfews, a World Health Organization (WHO) survey published today reveals.

UNDP has issued a call to the international community for US$18 million in emergency assistance to addres the humanitarian needs of the communities most affected by the construction of Israel’s apartheid wall.

Israel’s hesitance in implementing the Middle East “Road Map” and insistence on continuing with the building of the “separation wall” were among the concerns raised by the Permanent Observer for Palestine, as he briefed the Committee on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People this morning.

Development experts gathered at a United Nations-backed consultative meeting on rehabilitation in the occupied Palestinian territories have decided that next year’s Arab-International Forum should lay the groundwork for realizing the vision of a Palestinian state.

Today Hilary Benn, UK Minister of State for International Development, will begin a three-day visit to the Palestinian Territories to underline British support to the peace process and to see the political, development and humanitarian challenges facing Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Médecins du Monde and FIDH published their second report of their work, based on observations in 2002. In July 2002, they published their first report on ‘Operation Defensive Shield - Nablus’.