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Economic recession looms

30 August 2006


The Lebanese economy could go into recession in 2006 because of the damage done by the recent Israeli offensive and its ongoing air and naval blockade of the country, Lebanon’s Finance Minister Jihad Azour has warned. Azour added, however, that there could be a quick economic turn-around should current circumstances improve. “Yes, there is a risk of negative growth but there is also a chance of a recovery in growth if the blockade is lifted quickly,” he said. However, hopes for an immediate lifting of the blockade were dashed on Wednesday when Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert rebuffed United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan’s calls for an end to what he described as a “humiliating” blockade. 

Schools will re-open three weeks late, says government

30 August 2006


Sitting on the pavement by a shattered building that once housed a government school near the main square in Bint Jbeil, 100 km south of Beirut, eight-year-old Fatme talked about school life prior to the war. “I love drawing, and maths. They are my favourite subjects,” she said. “Now, both my brother’s school and mine have been destroyed. We don’t know if we’ll be able to go to school this year. If we don’t, I’ll get bored and sad.” With an estimated pre-war population of 30,000 people, Bint Jbeil witnessed some of the heaviest bombing by Israel in addition to extensive ground battles with the armed wing of Hezbollah, a Lebanese political party. 

Israel's immoral use of cluster bombs in Lebanon poses major threat

30 August 2006


The top United Nations aid official today criticized Israel’s heavy use of cluster bombs in the last three days of the war with Hizbollah, describing their use as “immoral” and warning that up to 100,000 deadly bomblets still lie unexploded across vast areas of southern Lebanon where they are maiming and killing people every day. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland also said that around a quarter of a million Lebanese returnees who fled their homes during the month of fighting were unable to return because of the devastation or for fear of injury caused by these and other unexploded ordnance. 

OCHA: 100,000 unexploded cluster bomblets in south Lebanon

30 August 2006


According to the United Nations Mine Action Coordination Cell (UNMACC) on-the-ground assessments, most the Israeli bombing assaults occurred during the last 72 hours of the conflict, during which some 90 per cent of all cluster-bomb strikes occurred. Up to 100,000 unexploded cluster bomblets remain in south Lebanon and must be defused and destroyed. The Government of Lebanon (GoL) Higher Relief Council (HRC) reports the casualty figures at 1,187 killed and 4,080 injured. As of 29 August, 381 cluster bomb strike locations have been identified and UNMACC teams have destroyed 2,606 sub munitions. 

Pregnant women must get urgent access to health care in Occupied Palestinian Territory

30 August 2006


UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, expresses its deep concern about recent reports of delays at Israeli checkpoints of women in labour, which have resulted in forced roadside births, and even death of some women and infants. It urges that civilians with urgent needs should have access to health facilities and that humanitarian organizations be allowed to work freely to alleviate the suffering of the people, especially women and children. More than 68 pregnant Palestinian women had to give birth at Israeli checkpoints during the last six years, leading to 34 miscarriages and the death of four women, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. 

Urgent letter to the EU regarding Rafah Crossing

30 August 2006


As a specialized human rights organization located in the Gaza Strip, we write to express our deep concern over the situation of Rafah Terminal on the Gaza Strip-Egypt border. On 15 November 2005, an agreement was reached comprising two documents which reflected commitments on behalf of the Government of Israel and the Palestinian National Authority, with regards to issues of movement and access, as well as principles for the working of Rafah Terminal. The aim of this agreement was to facilitate the movement of people and goods within the Palestinian territories and “to promote peaceful economic development and improve the humanitarian situation on the ground”. 

B'Tselem demands Military Police investigation of firing at journalists in Gaza

29 August 2006


On Sunday [27 August], the Israeli air force fired at a Reuter press vehicle near the Shaja’iyah neighborhood in Gaza. Two journalists in the vehicle were injured, one of them severely. An IDF spokesperson stated that the vehicle was attacked during an IDF operation because the vehicle “was driving suspiciously near IDF forces operating in the area.” The spokesperson contended that the soldiers did not identify the vehicle as one that belonged to the press agency, and regretted that the journalists were injured. According to Reuters, and from photos that appeared in the media, the vehicle was clearly marked as a press vehicle on all sides and on its roof. 

OCHA: 359 individual cluster bomb strike locations recorded

28 August 2006


The Government of Lebanon (GoL) Higher Relief Council (HRC) reports the casualty figures at 1,187 killed and 4,061 injured. Most of the recent casualties have been caused by UXOs. As of 28 August, 359 individual cluster bomb strike locations have been confirmed and recorded. Given that areas of lower priority and a number of villages with IDF presence nearby have yet to be visited, it is estimated the total number of strikes could be in excess of 400. Un-exploded bombs (UXB) dropped by aircraft and ranging from 500lb to 2000lb, continue to be located. Many large, aircraft bombs lie un-exploded in people’s houses and gardens. 

International blockades threaten Palestinian schools

Toni O'Loughlin 29 August 2006


Palestinian parents are huddling on street corners, in cafes and in mosques and talking nervously about the looming crisis in their children’s education. The five month long financial blockade on the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority (PA) is now threatening to shut down the education system. With an alarmingly high unemployment rate of 40 per cent and most civil servants, including most teachers without paychecks for five months now, few households can afford the expense of sending the students back to school when the summer holidays end. 

Gaza siege causing major health crisis

29 August 2006


Gaza hospitals are facing a crisis because of a western and Israeli economic boycott, and an Israeli military offensive. The United Nations has warned of an increasingly desperate humanitarian situation. “The siege and closure imposed by Israel have hindered medical aid from Jordan, Qatar, the Red Cross and the EU from reaching us,” said Dr Ma’awiya Hasanein, general manager of the emergency section in the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip. Gaza is a Palestinian-administered strip of land bordering Israel and Egypt. It was fully occupied by Israel from 1967 until mid-2005, when it was handed over to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).