Posted on 02/15/2008 12:56:10 PM PST by SmithL
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) -- The eight-month closure of Gaza has created "grim and miserable" conditions that deprive Palestinians of their basic dignity, the U.N.'s humanitarian chief said Friday.
Later Friday, a powerful blast went off in the house of a senior Islamic Jihad activist, killing him and five others, medics and an Islamic Jihad spokesman said. Islamic Jihad said an Israeli airstrike targeted the house, but Israel denied it.
John Holmes, undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs, visited Gaza during the day and urged that the territory's borders be reopened to relieve the suffering.
Israel and Egypt severely restricted access to Gaza after the Islamic militant group Hamas seized the territory by force in June. Since then, only a few dozen trucks carrying food, medicine and other staples have been permitted into Gaza every day, while most exports are banned.
The closure has driven up poverty and unemployment, and the U.N. says some 80 percent of Gaza's 1.4 million people now get some food aid.
"All this makes for a grim human and humanitarian situation here in Gaza, which means that people are not able to live with the basic dignity to which they are entitled," Holmes told reporters in Gaza.
The extent of suffering in Gaza has been a subject of dispute. Palestinians and human rights groups say hardship is widespread, while Israeli government officials have accused Hamas of trying to manufacture a humanitarian crisis for political gain.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Write your own joke.
Mr. Undersecretary . . .
Were you ever Eddie Haskell?
If I remember correctly, they get not only aid but many of them get receipts from relatives outside the PA. Sort of parasites.
Didn’t HAMAS come to power on a platform of change?
They are not entitled to any such thing.
OTOH, they are certainly entitled to the pursuit of basic dignity. However they are determined to not pursue that path, but rather a path of jihad, hate, terror.
Maybe they should stop killing Iseaelis and the would open it back up?
just a thought...
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
“That’s called consequences.”
That says it all!!
If Palies want things to improve then they need to rise up and overthrow their terrorist-riddled government. If they are unwilling to do that then they should be held responsible for the government they elected. Let them rot.
Dignity is not an entitlement. Dignity is earned.
Maybe their Arab brothers can help them out....
The borders with Egypt are open - or were until Egypt closed them because the Arabs from Gaza (I refuse to call them Palestinians) are NOT trustworthy and everyone knows it.
Besides, what is the UN doing favoring the interests of an observer mission over the interests of a permanent member?
The way to wipe out antisemitism in the world is to begin at the anti-semitic UN!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.