Beit Hanina, Palestine 16 July 2002
For nearly a month, two million residents of the West Bank have been under almost constant curfew. This deliberate policy by the Israeli government has created a humanitarian disaster throughout the West Bank. Hospitals, schools, universities as well as civil and governmental institutions have been completely paralyzed. Furthermore, the Israeli-imposed curfew has decimated the economy leaving a considerable percentage of Palestinians under the poverty line and nearing levels of starvation.
The Israeli government’s curfews are intended to, and have succeeded in destroying the socio-economic infrastructure of Palestine. Its collective punishment measures represent a severe violation of international law, and have no justification as security measures. As such, we are astounded and deeply concerned by the weak response of the international community in denouncing Israel’s creation of this ever-increasing humanitarian crisis.