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UN warns of humanitarian crisis in Palestine

20 April 2006


The current humanitarian emergency followed the outbreak of violence in September 2000 and is a result of restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement, military operations, land confiscation and levelling and the construction of the Barrier. A serious intensification of this situation is now possible following the victory of the Hamas party in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections held in January 2006. has stopped handing over to the PA VAT and customs taxes that it collects on Palestinian goods on its behalf. Recently however, the GoI has announced that it would use a proportion of this money to pay for electricity, water and fuel costs owed to Israeli companies. At the same time, Western donors signalled their intention to review their funding support to the PA. 

In the footsteps of his father

Rami Almeghari Gaza, Palestine 20 April 2006


8 April 2006—Last Saturday, crowds estimated at tens of thousands marched in the funeral procession of Eyad Abulineen, a Palestinian resistance fighter of Rafah, his 7-year old son Belal and four other people, who were all killed by Israeli missiles on Friday. Prior to heading to the Rafah cemetery east of the city, the crowd said a last farewell to their martyrs in a local mosque. Chanting angry slogans, with resistance fighters firing into the air, the crowd marched toward the cemetery, where the martyrs were laid to rest. 

Roger Waters Refuses to be Another Brick in Israel's Wall

19 April 2006


Ramallah — Reiterating his opposition to the Israeli occupation and expressing his support for the Palestinian people in “their struggle to be free,” the internationally renowned rock star Roger Waters has announced that he is relocating his Israel performance in recognition of the problematic nature of the previously planned Tel Aviv venue, particularly at a time when Israel is escalating its repression and apartheid designs to further dispossess, ghettoize and ultimately ethnically cleanse Palestinians from their homeland. 

Last chance for two states

Manuel Hassassian 19 April 2006


Monday’s suicide bombing in Tel Aviv rightly drew international condemnation, yet criticism of Israel’s relentless shelling of civilian population centres in the occupied Gaza Strip has been blocked by the US at the UN Security Council. This month alone, Israeli forces have killed more than 30 Palestinians, including at least six children, and injured 130 others, while about 200 shells have been fired into the Gaza Strip every day. As Israel’s illegal settlement and wall construction on occupied Palestinian land continues, the possibility of establishing a viable, territorially contiguous Palestinian state is being destroyed. “Permanent borders cannot be drawn by one party alone,” writes Manuel Hassassian. 

DCI/PS call to action on Palestinian Prisoners' Day

19 April 2006


17 April 2006 — It is a sad irony that Palestinian Prisoners’ Day comes this year as massive numbers of Palestinian children are being arrested and detained by Israeli forces. In the first quarter of 2006 alone, some 350 children were arrested — compared to around 700 child arrests in the whole of 2005. The vast increase in arrests is in turn leading to overcrowding in prisons as record numbers of juveniles are being held in unsuitable and unhygienic conditions. 

Palestinian refugees remain stranded on Jordan border

19 April 2006


About 150 Palestinians refugees fleeing from Iraq, including some 50 children, remain stranded near the Jordan-Iraq border, say aid officials. “The children are suffering due to a lack of protection and food,” said Ahmed Barak, a volunteer for the Iraqi Aid Association. “Medical provision in the area is very poor.” The refugees, many of whom fled their homes in Iraq in the wake of a recent spate of anti-Palestinian violence, have been waiting for Amman’s permission to enter the kingdom since 4 April. According to Barak, the International Committee for the Red Cross and the Iraq Red Crescent Society have been providing refugees with food, blankets and tents. Barak added, however, that their situation could worsen if no action is taken by the Jordanian or Iraqi governments. 

Dire situation for hospital, says director of Augusta Victoria in Jerusalem

18 April 2006


The international community’s financial boycott of the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority will likely lead to a humanitarian crisis, said Dr. Tawfiq Nasser, CEO of Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem. Speaking in a presentation in early April to staff of Lutheran World Relief, a U.S.-based member of the global alliance of Action by Churches Together (ACT) International, Nasser said, “The Palestinian Authority operates many activities for the people – it’s very different from other governments in that it’s actually a deliverer of services. So refusing to pay money to the Palestinian Authority is creating a major humanitarian disaster, removing the biggest provider of healthcare to the Palestinian people.” Nearly 70 percent of Palestinians are insured by the government’s health insurance program, Nasser said. 

Compensation package for farmers urgently needed

12 April 2006


John Ging, Director of UNRWA’s Gaza Field Office, highlighted that “a compensation package is urgently needed for the hundreds of families whose livelihoods have been wiped out by bird flu.” Mr. Ging visited Juhr El-Deik Municipality, at the invitation of the Mayor, to meet with refugee farmers whose chickens have been culled due to recent outbreaks of avian influenza within the Gaza Strip. The culls were ordered and carried out by the Palestinian Ministry of Health. 

Security Council speakers, alarmed by escalating violence, urge Israeli, Palestinian restraint, return to peace process (2/2)

16 April 2006


With tensions escalating in the Middle East, Israeli and Palestinian diplomats both deplored the killing of innocents while trading accusations on the causes of the violence during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, which heard from over 30 participants but did not pronounce itself on the issue. Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Observer for Palestine, said the Security Council has a “clear responsibility” concerning the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and praised the convening of the debate, given the deteriorating situation on the ground. “It is unfortunate that the Security Council has failed to shoulder its responsibility over this very grave situation,” he said. 

Security Council speakers, alarmed by escalating violence, urge Israeli, Palestinian restraint, return to peace process (1/2)

16 April 2006


With tensions escalating in the Middle East, Israeli and Palestinian diplomats both deplored the killing of innocents while trading accusations on the causes of the violence during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council, which heard from over 30 participants but did not pronounce itself on the issue. Riyad Mansour, the Permanent Observer for Palestine, said the Security Council has a “clear responsibility” concerning the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and praised the convening of the debate, given the deteriorating situation on the ground. “It is unfortunate that the Security Council has failed to shoulder its responsibility over this very grave situation,” he said.