GAZA WATER CRISIS PROMPTS UN CALL FOR IMMEDIATE OPENING OF CROSSINGS

The top United Nations humanitarian official in the occupied Palestinian territory today joined aid agencies in calling for the immediate opening of Gaza's crossings to allow the entry of spare parts and materials critical to restoring the area's water and sanitation services.

"The deterioration and breakdown of water and sanitation facilities in Gaza is compounding an already severe and protracted denial of human dignity in the Gaza Strip," Maxwell Gaylard said in a joint statement issued today with the NGO Association for International Development Agencies (AIDA).

"At the heart of this crisis is a steep decline in standards of living for the people of Gaza, characterized by erosion of livelihoods, destruction and degradation of basic infrastructure, and a marked downturn in the delivery and quality of vital services in health, water and sanitation," added Mr. Gaylard, the Deputy UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and UN Humanitarian Coordinator.

Israel's closure of Gaza's crossing points, imposed since June 2007, has meant that equipment and supplies needed for the construction, maintenance and operation of water and sanitation facilities have not been able to enter the area, leading to the deterioration of these services.

Currently, some 10,000 people do not have access to the water network, while another 60 per cent of Gaza's population of 1.5 million do not have continuous access to water.

In addition, some 50 to 80 million litres of untreated and partially treated waste-water have been discharged daily into the Mediterranean Sea since January 2008, due to damage to sewage treatment facilities, lack of treatment capacity because of postponed plant upgrade projects, and a critical shortage of fuel and electricity necessary to operate them.

Mr. Gaylard and the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) called on the Israeli Government to take immediate steps to ensure the entry into Gaza of the necessary construction and repair materials to respond to the water and sanitation crisis.

"Without addressing both the immediate basic needs of the population and facilitating the longer-term development and management of the degraded water and sanitation sector, public health and the wider environment will remain at significant risk," said the Humanitarian Coordinator.

"Pollution does not recognise borders or barriers, and communities throughout the region are threatened by the deficiencies of Gaza's water and sanitation system," he added.
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UN BEGINS CLEARING RUBBLE CAUSED BY GAZA CONFLICT

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and its partners today began clearing around 420,000 tons of rubble caused by the recent Gaza conflict, and reiterated the need for Israel to ease its blockade so building materials and other vital supplies can enter the area.

In addition to causing loss of life and injuries, the three weeks of fighting that took place between 27 December and 18 January damaged or destroyed an estimated 15,000 buildings, according to UNDP.

"The removal of rubble is an important start in helping Gazans get over the recent destruction," said Jens Toyberg-Frandzen, UNDP's representative in the occupied Palestinian territory. "This project will help provide much needed work and improve the environment before rebuilding can start."

The rubble removal is also vital to abate the economic and health risks it poses to the residents of Gaza, UNDP said, given that some of the damaged sites contain asbestos and other toxic materials while others may contain explosives.

The project, carried out in partnership with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and several non-governmental organizations (NGOs), will take one year and is estimated to cost $12 million.

Meanwhile, Mr. Toyberg-Frandzen said it is crucial for Israel to ease its blockade on Gaza so that the materials necessary for recovery and reconstruction can get in, echoing similar calls by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other top UN officials in the region.

Israel's blockade on Gaza, which has now been in force for two years, has left the population of 1.5 million almost totally dependent on international aid and put a halt to the area's reconstruction.

UNDP, which suspended $60 million worth of construction projects in Gaza in 2007 because it could not acquire building materials, continues to request the building materials it requires to restart the suspended projects and begin new construction.

The agency noted that if Israel continues to block the entry of materials, very limited rebuilding can take place and the sites being cleared will remain empty.

"If the borders remain closed this investment will provide short-term relief and not long-term progress," stated Mr. Toyberg-Frandzen.

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UPCOMING HEARINGS ENABLE VICTIMS TO SPEAK DIRECTLY TO UN GAZA RIGHTS PROBE

Members of the independent fact-finding mission set up by the United Nations Human Rights Council will hold public hearings in Gaza next week as part of its investigations into violations committed during the recent conflict in the Strip, allowing those affected to tell their stories to the world.

The hearings will "enable victims from all sides in the conflict and experts on its consequences and impacts to speak directly to the international community of their experiences," according to a statement issued in Geneva.

The four-member team, led by Justice Richard Goldstone, will interview victims, witnesses and experts in Gaza City on 28 and 29 June, at the headquarters of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Hearings will also be held on 6 and 7 July in Geneva, as part of the investigations into rights violations committed during the December 2008-January 2009 conflict, which killed over 1,400 people and injured 5,000 others.

Both Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN human rights chief Navi Pillay have called on Israel to cooperate with the investigation team, which travelled to Gaza earlier this month in the first of several planned visits to the area.
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SECRETARY-GENERAL CALLS AGAIN ON ISRAEL TO EASE GAZA BLOCKADE

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon repeated his call on Israel to ease its blockade on Gaza during a meeting today in New York with Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman.

Mr. Ban also called for a freeze on all settlement activity, including natural growth, and for Israel to allow the resumption of stalled United Nations projects in Gaza, according to information provided by his spokesperson.

On Wednesday, a group of UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) called for an end to the blockade on Gaza, which has now been in force for two years and has left the population of 1.5 million almost totally dependent on international aid.

In addition to Gaza, the Secretary-General and Mr. Liberman discussed a number of regional issues including Lebanon. Mr. Ban briefed the Foreign Minister on his upcoming report on Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbollah.

On the Middle East Peace Process, the head of the UN reiterated the need for a political process based on the two-State solution and negotiations on all core issues, as envisaged in international law, Security Council resolutions, and existing agreements.

The two men also discussed Iran, with Mr. Ban reiterating his belief that the nuclear issues can and should be resolved through peaceful means, in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions.
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UN, AID AGENCIES CALL FOR END TO ISRAEL’S TWO-YEAR BLOCKADE OF GAZA

A group of nearly 40 United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) today called for an end to Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has now been in force for two years and has left the population of 1.5 million almost totally dependent on international aid.

"We call for free and uninhibited access for all humanitarian assistance in accordance with the international agreements and in accordance with universally recognised international human rights and humanitarian law standards," they said in a joint statement issued in Jerusalem to mark the second anniversary of the blockade.

While the "indiscriminate" sanctions are affecting the entire population of Gaza, they said, women, children and the elderly are the first victims.

The group called for a return to normalized trade, stating that the "suffocation" of Gaza's economy has led to unprecedented unemployment and poverty rates and almost total aid dependency.

"While Gazans are being kept alive through humanitarian aid, ordinary civilians have lost all quality of life as they fight to survive," they said.

In addition, "the consequences of Israel's recent military operation remain widespread as early recovery materials have been prevented from entering Gaza. Thousands of people are living with holes in their walls, broken windows and no running water," stated the group.

Last week the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that the entry of essential goods and services, including materials for reconstruction, spare parts for water and sanitation projects, as well as industrial and agricultural materials remain either restricted or banned outright.

Maxwell Gaylard, the top UN humanitarian official in the occupied Palestinian territory, reported in May that the fighting from December 2008 to January 2009 had destroyed some 4,000 homes and damaged another 40,000. While donors have pledged billions of dollars for Gaza's reconstruction, work cannot begin because of the blockade.

The group warned that the ongoing blockade is creating "an atmosphere of deprivation in Gaza that can only deepen the sense of hopelessness and despair among people," and stated that allowing human development and prosperity to take hold is an essential first step towards the establishment of lasting peace.

Among those adding their voice to the statement issued today is the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the NGOs Oxfam International and CARE.
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ISRAEL MUST OPEN GAZA, FREEZE SETTLEMENTS, SAYS BAN

ISRAEL MUST OPEN GAZA, FREEZE SETTLEMENTS, SAYS BAN
New York, Jun 8 2009 1:00PM
Underscoring the need for a two-State solution and a durable peace in the region, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called on Israel to allow fuel and building materials into Gaza, freeze settlements in the West Bank and make fundamental changes in its security practices and policies.

In a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3907">message to the two-day meeting of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Mr. Ban expressed his serious concern over the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

"Nearly five months after the end of the hostilities, nothing beyond basic needs such as food and medicine is allowed in," he said, noting that current conditions preclude the success of recovery efforts and long-term development initiatives.

"I call on Israel to allow in the fuel, funds and materials that are urgently required to repair destroyed and damaged schools, clinics, sanitation networks and shelters and to restore a functioning market," the Secretary-General said in the message to the gathering in Jakarta delivered by Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

In the West Bank, he said, progress is blocked by the Israel Defence Forces' routine incursions.

"Palestinians continue to endure unacceptable unilateral actions, such as house demolitions, intensified settlement activity, settler violence, and ever increasing movement restrictions due to permits, checkpoints and the wall and fence barrier," Mr. Ban stressed. "The time has come for Israel to fundamentally change its policies in this regard, as it has repeatedly promised to do."

A "full settlement freeze" in both the West Bank and East Jerusalem is necessary, he added.

The Secretary-General said that there had been almost no progress on the Security Council resolutions calling for a durable and fully respected ceasefire, prevention of the illicit supply of weapons to Gaza, the reopening of the crossings and Palestinian reconciliation under the legitimate Palestinian Authority.

"We have a clear objective," he said, which is "an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian State living side-by-side in peace and security with Israel, and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region."

He said he is encouraged by United States President Barack Obama's commitment to the objectives and said he is looking forward to a meeting, in the near future, of the Middle East Quartet – made up of the UN, European Union, Russia and US – to discuss peace in the region.
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BAN RENEWS CALL FOR ISRAELI COOPERATION WITH UN GAZA HUMAN RIGHTS PROBE

BAN RENEWS CALL FOR ISRAELI COOPERATION WITH UN GAZA HUMAN RIGHTS PROBE
New York, Jun 2 2009 5:01PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has renewed his call for Israel's cooperation with the team mandated by the United Nations Human Rights Council to probe alleged rights abuses and violations of international law during the recent conflict in Gaza, his spokesperson said today.

The team, led by Justice Richard Goldstone, is currently on a week-long trip to the area, the first of its planned field visits. On Friday, it announced it would enter Gaza from Egypt through the Rafah crossing point.

Mr. Ban discussed the issue with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak at a meeting yesterday in New York.

"On the Gaza fact-finding mission, the Secretary-General renewed his call for cooperation from Israel," his spokesperson, Michele Montas, told reporters today.

Access and movement issues relating to Gaza, the importance of the peace process, Lebanon, and the upcoming report on Security Council Resolution 1701 – which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hizbollah – were also discussed, Ms. Montas said.

In addition, the two also talked about the four-member UN Board of Inquiry, led by Ian Martin of the United Kingdom, which examined incidents involving death and damage at the world body's premises in Gaza during Israel's military operation.

Ms. Montas said the Secretary-General is following up on cases covered by the Board's report, a summary of which Mr. Ban forwarded to the Security Council in early May.

Mr. Ban has also instructed the UN Legal Counsel to start preparing and formulating claims to compensation for the losses sustained by the Organization in incidents investigated by the Board, she added.

On a related matter, the spokesperson said that none of the $11 million in assessed damages to the UN's Gaza facilities had been received yet.
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HEALTH CONDITIONS WORSENING IN GAZA AS BORDERS REMAIN CLOSED – UN AGENCY

HEALTH CONDITIONS WORSENING IN GAZA AS BORDERS REMAIN CLOSED – UN AGENCY
New York, May 22 2009 6:00PM
The deteriorating health situation in Gaza has been intensified by Israel's blockade of crossings into the area, the United Nations agency tasked with assisting Palestinian refugees warned today.

Even before Israel's military offensive targeting Hamas militants on the tiny strip of land earlier this year, which killed over 1,400 people and injured 5,000 others, the border closures had a grave impact on the health of Gazans and the ability of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (<"http://www.un.org/unrwa/refugees/index.html">UNRWA) to provide health services.

According to the agency's latest health report, some 4,000 medical items per day on average could cross into Gaza before the conflict, whereas only 40 items are currently allowed to be imported daily.

UNRWA also reported that restrictions on building supplies have resulted in damaged health care centres being left in a state of disrepair and a scarcity of paper has led to difficulties in keeping medical records.

The new report also voiced deep concern over the lack of adequate food to children, and said that on top of widespread unemployment, no petrol or diesel has been delivered to Gaza and only very limited amounts of cooking gas has made it into the Strip since 2 November, causing anaemia in 30 per cent of children below 36 months of age and 50 per cent of pregnant women.

Guido Sabatinelli, UNRWA Director of Health, <"http://www.unog.ch/80256EDD006B9C2E/(httpNewsByYear_en)/446CA4419978392CC12575BE00318C05?OpenDocument">told reporters in Geneva today that the agency forecasted a 25 per cent shortfall in its biennium budget for 2009-2010. Since needs were expanding, the agency said it would be obliged to suspend some of its services next year, including hospital closures.

Mr. Sabatinelli said that the UNRWA health budget was $80 million to provide for 4 million persons, or $20 per person per year, which is well below the recommendation by the World Health Organization (<"http://www.who.int/en/">WHO) of $60 per person as an absolute minimum.
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UN ENVIRONMENT TEAM COMPLETES STUDY OF GAZA CONFLICT DAMAGES

UN ENVIRONMENT TEAM COMPLETES STUDY OF GAZA CONFLICT DAMAGES
New York, May 21 2009 12:00PM
Experts from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have completed field work on a study of the environmental impact of the recent heavy fighting on Gaza, the agency announced today.

The team of eight UNEP experts spent 10 days in Gaza studying waste and waste water systems, the coastal and marine environment, and solid and hazardous waste management, including asbestos, and will make recommendations for rehabilitation this in the coming months.

In the coming months, it will make recommendations which "will inform local planning and assist the planned reconstruction by the international community," according to UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

The experts inspected 32 sites to assess environmental impacts and collect samples for laboratory analysis and also collected data for an economic evaluation of the cost of rehabilitation and restoration of the environmental damage in Gaza.

Sites visited included residential areas, schools, industrial areas, sewage facilities, landfills and the coastline, where detailed sampling of water and sediments, bio-indicators, asbestos and waste water was conducted.

Samples collected on the ground will be sent to an independent international laboratory and analysed in the coming weeks.

The three-week Israeli offensive which began on 27 December, with the stated aim of ending rocket attacks by Hamas and other groups, killed at least 1,300 Palestinians and wounded some 5,300. The heavy bombardment and fighting also reduced buildings and other infrastructure to rubble.

Shortly after the conflict ended, UNEP sent a senior staff member to Gaza in late January as part of the UN Early Recovery Needs Assessment mission, which found that the fighting had created large quantities of building demolition waste, which is often contaminated with hazardous materials such as asbestos.

Even prior to this most recent conflict, Gaza did not have an appropriate system for waste segregation and disposal. Consequently, the creation of such large quantities of solid waste, within such a short time, has overloaded the already inadequate infrastructure.

During the May field mission, UNEP also ran two training workshops on handling asbestos and other hazardous substances in rubble management, and on health and safety practices for demolition and disposal of damaged buildings.

The team members have extensive experience in assessing the environmental impact of conflict in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Sudan and the Middle East, and in making recommendations for action, according to the agency. They also have expertise in water and waste water management, asbestos and hazardous wastes monitoring, and coastal and marine issues, it added.

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Gaza: Pursuit of the laws of war

If the UN fails to further investigate crimes committed during the conflict it will ensure stalemate, and more suffering for civilians

by

Tom Porteous, London Director, Human Rights Watch

May 8, 2009

The Israeli government and its supporters have lashed out at the report of the UN board of inquiry into Israeli attacks on UN installations during Israel's latest offensive in Gaza. The report, they say, is biased, tendentious and inaccurate. According to Robbie Sabel, writing in Comment is Free, the "unbalanced report" does "little to bring understanding or justice to the conflict in Gaza".

The full report has not been published, but there's little in the summary that UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon sent to the Security Council on Tuesday to support such claims. On the contrary, it provides careful but compelling evidence that Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) violated the laws of war during their military operations around UN installations in Gaza.

According to the summary, the board of inquiry concluded that "IDF actions involved varying degrees of negligence and recklessness with regard to United Nations premises and the safety of United Nations staff and other civilians within those premises, with consequent deaths, injuries and extensive physical damage and loss of property". The board also holds "Hamas or another Palestinian actor" responsible for one attack on a UN installation - a World Food Progamme warehouse hit by a Qassam rocket.

The terms of reference of the UN inquiry were extremely narrow. Its job was to look at attacks on eight UN installations and one UN convoy during the period of Israel's military offensive. As far as one can tell from the summary, the board has been meticulous in sticking to these terms of reference.

However, the conclusions of the inquiry, as represented in the summary (which, it should be noted, was not written by those who wrote the full report), raise broader questions about the use of force by the IDF during the conflict. It appears the authors of the UN report felt these questions should not be ducked. The summary notes that the board of inquiry was "deeply conscious" that the attacks on UN installations investigated in its report "are among many incidents ­during Operation Cast Lead involving civilian victims".

The board therefore recommended that "these incidents should be investigated as part of an impartial inquiry, mandated and adequately resourced, to investigate violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza and southern Israel by the IDF and by Hamas and other Palestinian militants".

But in his letter to the Security Council presenting his summary, secretary general Ban Ki-moon says bluntly: "I do not plan any further inquiry." Whether under pressure from external sources - as reported in the Israeli media - or not, the secretary general has thus rejected his own board of inquiry's most important recommendation even before the Security Council has had time to discuss it.

Indeed Ban could not even bring himself to put his weight behind an inquiry that has already been mandated by the UN human rights council to investigate broader laws of war violations in the Gaza fighting. Although the human rights council has often been criticised for an anti-Israel bias, this inquiry is headed by Richard Goldstone, who gained international respect for his critical role in dismantling apartheid in his native South Africa and served with distinction as the chief prosecutor at the international criminal tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Goldstone has said that he will look at violations committed by both sides in the conflict.

So what happens now? The media and human rights organisations like Human Rights Watch have already documented serious violations of the laws of war by both sides in the conflict in Gaza, several of which have now been corroborated by this latest UN report. There is a strong prima facie case for a broad international and impartial inquiry, as recommended by the UN board.

Justice Goldstone's inquiry (which has been accepted by Hamas but rejected by Israel) should be fully backed by the secretary general, the Security Council and all those states who profess to care about the vital importance of upholding the rule of law in international affairs.

There is a wide perception, backed up by strong evidence, that serious laws of war violations were committed in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead. Failure by the UN to investigate and make recommendations for the prosecution of individuals responsible for war crimes will perpetuate the climate of impunity that characterises this conflict, like so many others, and ensure that in the next round of fighting once again it will be civilians who suffer most. That will only further polarise and radicalise both sides and dim even further the prospects of peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

ICRC News Release - Gaza: fragments of border wall used to patch up water treatment plant

ICRC News Release No. 09/89

12 May 2009

Gaza: fragments of border wall used to patch up water treatment plant

Geneva/Jerusalem (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will inaugurate tomorrow, 13 May, the first phase of a project to upgrade a wastewater treatment plant in the southern Gaza town of Rafah. When the entire project is completed, the plant will treat 20,000 cubic metres of wastewater per day and serve 175,000 inhabitants.

For a number of years, the Rafah plant has not only been too small for the population it serves but also too broken down to treat wastewater properly. As a consequence, raw sewage has often had to be discharged into the sea. In addition, because of the lack of electricity and fuel needed to operate the plant, untreated sewage water has on several occasions spilled over the banks of the old treatment ponds.

"It's a great challenge to carry out construction projects in the Strip, as building materials cannot be imported," said Marek Komarzynski, an ICRC engineer working in Gaza. "Humanitarian organizations such as the ICRC are forced either to come up with alternative and creative ways of proceeding or to put essential projects on hold."

In the Gaza Strip, efforts to provide the population with even the most basic services, such as water and sanitation, are severely hampered by restrictions on imports of construction materials, fuel and electricity.

The only way to fix up the Rafah plant is to recycle existing materials, such as water pipes, and to use components manufactured within the Strip. The shortage of cement has been overcome by salvaging concrete segments of the old Rafah border wall that lay abandoned after its partial demolition in January 2008.

"It should not be this difficult to work on vital projects in Gaza," said Pierre Wettach, the ICRC's head of delegation in Israel and the occupied territories. "The water and sanitation infrastructure in the Gaza Strip is in dire need of a comprehensive upgrade. Even if the existing infrastructure were operating at full capacity, it would not meet the needs of the population. To provide Gaza's 1.5 million inhabitants with adequate facilities it is absolutely essential that materials such as cement, steel and water pipes be allowed in."

The upgrades to the treatment plant, which are being made in cooperation with Rafah municipality and the Coastal Municipal Water Utility, will help prevent serious risk to public heath and further harm to the environment. In addition, the treated sewage water will help fill the underground aquifer, which is the sole source of water in a territory suffering from a severe shortage.

"We aim at recycling 100 per cent of the wastewater," said Mr Komarzynski. "This project will also support agriculture in the area as farmers will be able to use treated sewage sludge as a fertilizer."

URGENT NEED TO GENERATE MOMENTUM IN ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE PROCESS – BAN

URGENT NEED TO GENERATE MOMENTUM IN ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN PEACE PROCESS – BAN
New York, May 11 2009 2:00PM
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed the need to generate momentum in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, warning that the situation on the ground could worsen easily without fresh efforts by both sides as well as the international community.

"After the inconclusive results of last year's negotiations, and the bloodshed in Gaza, the last three months witnessed almost no progress on the two key resolutions – 1850 and 1860," Mr. Ban <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=3838">told today's Security Council <"http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs//2009/sc9655.doc.htm">meeting, chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The Council, in the two resolutions adopted earlier this year, called for a durable and fully respected ceasefire, prevention of the illicit supply of weapons to Gaza; reopening of the crossings in accordance with the Agreement on Movement and Access; and progress on Palestinian reconciliation under the legitimate Palestinian Authority.

"The challenge is to begin implementing transformative changes on the ground; and to kick-start a renewed and irreversible drive to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian agreement," stated Mr. Ban.

The Secretary-General cited the need to be "determined as we are patient, as insistent as we are supportive, as principled as we are empathetic to the very real concerns of both parties," adding that the parties need confidence that the process will address their vital interests.

They also need confidence that commitments made will be commitments monitored and commitments kept, he added, noting a "deep crisis of confidence" among ordinary people on the ground.

Mr. Ban noted that in the period ahead, United States President Barack Obama will host the Israeli and Palestinian leaders and key regional parties in Washington. He also expected that the Middle East Quartet – comprising the UN, European Union, Russia and US – will meet soon.

"Like a bicycle that falls over when left at a standstill, the situation on the ground could easily deteriorate unless proper direction is given and real momentum is quickly generated," he stated.

"Violence and terror will not bring the Palestinians statehood and dignity, and settlement expansion and closure will not bring Israel security or peace. And no two-State solution can be reached if the situation between Gaza and southern Israel continues on its present destructive course, or if Palestinians remain permanently divided," said the Secretary-General.

Mr. Ban called on the parties to honour all existing agreements and previous commitments and pursue an irreversible effort towards the two-State solution, including by fully implementing commitments on the ground.

"I also believe the international community's credibility is at stake," he added. "We are a long way from where we hoped to be when we embarked on a fresh push for peace less than two years ago. However, I take heart that there is a deep consensus about the scale of the challenge and the importance of meeting it."

Mr. Ban added he remains "extremely worried" about the situation in and around Gaza, with internal Palestinian divisions and Israeli-Hamas tensions trapping the civilian population in a "vortex of hopelessness."

He noted that nearly four months after the conflict in Gaza – in which 3,800 houses and 2 health care centres were destroyed, and 34,000 homes, 15 hospitals, 41 health care centres and 282 schools sustained varying degrees of damage – it is difficult to get anything beyond food and medicine into the area. "This is completely unacceptable," he stressed.
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UN TEAM PROBING RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN GAZA CONFLICT WRAPS UP FIRST MEETING

UN TEAM PROBING RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN GAZA CONFLICT WRAPS UP FIRST MEETING
New York, May 8 2009 12:00PM
Members of the fact-finding mission set up by the United Nations Human Rights Council to probe rights violations during the recent conflict in the Gaza Strip wrapped up a week-long meeting in Geneva today.

The four-person team is led by the former prosecutor for International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, Richard Goldstone of South Africa, who stressed the law-based approach the mission will take in preparing its report to the Geneva-based Council.

"I would like to emphasise that we will focus our investigation not on political considerations, but on an objective and impartial analysis of compliance of the parties to the conflict with their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law, especially their responsibility to ensure the protection of civilians and non-combatants," he stated.

"I believe that an objective assessment of
the issues is in the interests of all parties, will promote a culture of accountability and could serve to promote greater peace and security in the region."

During their week-long session, the team held initial meetings with a broad cross-section of stakeholders, including Member States and representatives of the UN and non-governmental organizations. It also established terms of reference and a three-month programme of work.

The mission intends to conduct visits to affected areas of Southern Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, including Gaza, and has requested the cooperation of the Government of Israel in this regard, according to a news release.

The other members of the team include Christine Chinkin, Professor of International Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science at the University of London; Hina Jilani, Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and former Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders; and Colon
el (retired from the Irish Armed Forces) Desmond Travers, member of the Board of Directors of the Institute for International Criminal Investigations (IICI).

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CONFLICT OVER BUT SITUATION OF GAZA’S CHILDREN STILL ‘PRECARIOUS’ – UNICEF

The recent hostilities in Gaza may be over but the continuing Israeli blockade and inter-Palestinian tensions are hampering recovery efforts and having a particularly negative effect on the situation of children, the United Nations warned today.

"Although the conflict ended 100 days ago, children in Gaza continue to suffer, both physically and psychologically," said Patricia McPhillips, Special Representative of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) to the occupied Palestinian territory. "It is critical that supplies and materials needed for recovery and rehabilitation are allowed in."

The three-week Israeli offensive which began on 27 December, with the stated aim of ending rocket attacks by Hamas and other groups, killed at least 1,300 Palestinians and wounded some 5,300. According to UNICEF, roughly one-third of all casualties were children.

The agency, in a news release issued today in Gaza, noted that the fighting took a particularly heavy toll on children's psychological well-being, with a recent UN study reaffirming that mental health, anxiety and stress are the main health problems in Gaza.

UNICEF and its partners are boosting psychosocial support to children and young people, providing mine-risk education in schools and communities, supporting remedial education, and organizing vaccination campaigns. It is also focusing on improving skills of health care providers and caregivers to improve maternal, newborn and child health.

More than three months after hostilities ended, 10 per cent of Gaza's population remains without electricity and 9 per cent with little access to safe water, UNICEF said, adding that primary health clinics in the south are recording significantly higher prevalence of water and sanitation-related infectious diseases, including acute bloody diarrhoea, over the same period last year.

In addition, food, fuel and cash are in short supply, and 65 essential drugs were out of stock at Gaza's Central Store, according to the agency.

UNICEF also noted that five children have died in unexploded ordnance-related incidents since the end of the conflict and at least 14 were injured in related violence.

A main impediment to recovery efforts continues to be lack of access. An average of 132 trucks entered Gaza daily in March, compared with 475 in May 2007. Among the items that have not been allowed in since the conflict ended are UNICEF educational supplies, including teacher training and early childhood development kits, as well as recreational material including music instruments.

Children have also been affected by internal Palestinian tensions, added UNICEF, noting in particular a dispute since 22 March affecting medical referrals for urgent care not available in Gaza.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least three patients have died while waiting to exit Gaza for medical treatment. UNICEF welcomed news on Monday of positive moves on the ground to resolve the crisis.

There have also been reported incidents of children being trained or used by Palestinian militant groups, according to UNICEF, which stressed that children should not be used for political or military purposes.

"Children are the innocent victims of this conflict," Ms. McPhillips said. "All parties to the conflicts must put children's interests first."

In a related development, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) announced yesterday that it has raised $4.1 million for the Children of Gaza campaign launched in Syria in January.

The funds will help alleviate the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and address the needs of children in particular. This includes the construction of the Aleppo preparatory school in Beit Lahia, one of the areas most affected by the military operation, and the repair of 370 refugee houses demolished during the violence.

"While Gaza is no longer on the daily news, the humanitarian needs remain very high," UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen AbuZayd stated. "UNRWA and its partners will ensure that civilians affected by the conflict receive the assistance they need."

The campaign was initiated on the heels of a meeting in Istanbul in January of the First Ladies of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Qatar and Pakistan, who were leading the effort to unify the region in fundraising efforts for humanitarian relief for Palestinians in Gaza.
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UN AGENCY TO ASSESS ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE IN GAZA

Increased discharge of raw sewage and other environmental effects of the recent combat in Gaza will be focus of an assessment announced today by the head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, currently on a visit to the Gaza Strip, said he requested the agency's Post Conflict and Disaster Management Branch to deploy a team of experts to the devastated territory by mid-May to carry out the survey.

"I look forward to receiving rapid and clear recommendations emanating from the May assessment. This will inform local planning and assist the planned reconstruction by the international community," Mr. Steiner said.

"The UNEP team's findings will be based on systematic field work, independent laboratory analysis and scientific rigour," he added.

The experts chosen have extensive experience in assessing the environmental impact of conflict in the Balkans, Afghanistan, Sudan and the Middle East, and in making recommendations for action, according to the agency.

They also have expertise in water and waste water management, asbestos and hazardous wastes monitoring, and coastal and marine issues, it added.

At least 1,300 Palestinians were killed and some 5,300 were injured in the offensive launched by Israel in late 2008 with the stated aim of ending rocket attacks by Hamas and other groups. The heavy bombardment and fighting also reduced buildings and other infrastructure to rubble.

During his visit, Mr. Steiner has been meeting with senior Palestinian officials and UN staff to hear first hand their concerns and learn of key environmental challenges and priorities for rehabilitation.

He emphasized that the infrastructure damage that led to increased discharge of raw sewage into ground water supplies and the Mediterranean Sea posed a challenge to authorities and threatened public health in Gaza and potentially in Israel.

Initial assessments by UNEP as part of an early-recovery initiative by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and other such studies have also flagged building demolition waste and contaminated land as issues of environmental concern, among others.

Once the extent of the physical damage is determined and the measures required for their rehabilitation are identified, the cost of the damage resulting from the latest conflict will be calculated by the team, UNEP said.

Laboratory results from the 10-day assessment mission in May are expected by early June with a report and recommendations anticipated in early July, the agency added.

The assessment was formally requested by a decision of UNEP's Governing Council and a gathering of the world's environment ministers at the organization's headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya in February, Mr. Steiner said.
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THREE MONTHS AFTER CONFLICT, UN OFFICIAL WARNS OF DIRE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION

Although the devastating Israeli military offensive in the Gaza Strip against Hamas came to an end three months ago, life for Gazans remains extremely difficult, the United Nations humanitarian chief has stressed.

The three-week offensive Israel launched late last December, with the stated aim of ending rocket attacks by Hamas and other groups, killed at least 1,300 Palestinians and injured some 5,000 others. The heavy bombardment and fighting also reduced homes, schools, hospitals and marketplaces to rubble.

"For the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip to improve, lifesaving assistance must be decoupled from the security and political agendas," said John Holmes, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.

"If the Israeli-Palestinian peace that has been sought for over 60 years, and more recently inter-Palestinian reconciliation, remain preconditions for improv
ing living conditions, the Gaza Strip risks being dependent on handouts for years to come," he warned, appealing for the reopening of all land borders to allow urgently-needed humanitarian and reconstruction supplies into Gaza.

Last month in Egypt, over $5 billion was pledged for reconstruction efforts in Gaza, "possibly the most significant show of donor support for Gaza in the history of the occupied Palestinian territory," Mr. Holmes, who also serves as UN Relief Coordinator, said.

However, "for once, money is not the main problem," he noted, adding that the funds are not "hitting [the] mark" with three-quarters of Gazans requiring some form of aid.

The sweeping Israeli ban on the import of construction materials, spare parts for public infrastructure and the industrial sector in Gaza, along with restrictions on the entry of cash, has prevented work to start on almost all of the planned early recovery projects, according to last month's by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on the situation in Gaza.

In addition, a ban on exports, apart from a few truckloads of flowers, has exacerbated the situation by crushing Gaza's job-creation industries, said Mr. Holmes. "The ruin of hundreds of thousands of lives and livelihoods appears to be seen by Israel as the collective price that Gaza's civilians must pay for the acts of a few among them."

Over 20 per cent of the population able and willing to work is unemployed and nearly half live below the poverty line, according to the latest survey of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics cited in the OCHA report.

It also indicated that the continued blockade on the livelihoods of Gazans -- especially farmers, herders and fishermen -- has been exacerbated by Israeli restrictions on access to
farmland along the border and to fishing areas beyond three nautical miles from the shore.

This grim humanitarian situation was compounded for chronically ill patients as access to specialized medical treatment outside Gaza was dramatically tightened after Hamas took over the Referral Abroad Department (RAD) in late March. Subsequently, the Palestinian Authority-controlled Ministry of Health has not approved or funded applications for treatment outside of Gaza, and without its consent neither Israel nor Egypt will allow patients to exit the Strip.

"While Israel has primary responsibility for this terrible crisis of human dignity in Gaza," Mr. Holmes stressed that "Hamas must also should its part of the blame because of the indiscriminate and pointless rocket attacks it committed from Gaza for so long," as well as for its three-year silence over the fate of Israeli captive Gilad Shalit.

The Israeli offensive may have ended in late January with unilateral ceasefires by both sides, but violent clashes -- some resulting in deaths -- occurring almost daily, according to OCH
A..

"In Gaza today, humanity has taken a back seat to politics, and a measly trickle of items has become the most the world can offer civilians trapped by a political stalemate not of their making," the Under-Secretary-General said.

"Protection, food, water, healthcare and shelter are basic human needs, not bargaining chips," he underscored. "It is high time that fact is recognized by all the parties responsible for the immense suffering in Gaza today."

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ONGOING ENTRY RESTRICTIONS NEGATIVELY AFFECTING LIVING CONDITIONS FOR GAZANS – UN

Restrictions on imports and exports, in addition to limitations on humanitarian deliveries, continue to seriously affect the living conditions of the population of Gaza, the United Nations has reported.

The latest field update from the office of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory states that, in the week ending 28 March, 721 truckloads of goods were allowed into Gaza, slightly down from 728 during the previous week.

Food supplies accounted for nearly 80 per cent of imported commodities, and this week items such as tea, yeast and salt that were barred since late October 2008 were allowed entry.

Meanwhile, no construction materials, industrial or electrical appliances, livestock, petrol or diesel fuel was allowed entry into Gaza during the week. In addition, some 35,000 people are without any access to water, down from 40,000 last week.

The update notes that the vast majority of Palestinians in Gaza rely on local farming to produce affordable fresh foods, including fruit, vegetables, meat and fish. Movement restrictions continue to prevent herders and farmers from accessing areas near the borders.

Furthermore, fishermen stand to lose substantial income as a result of new restrictions that limit fishing to three miles from Gaza's shores.

On the health front, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator and the World Health Organization (WHO) have voiced serious concern over the halting of patients leaving Gaza for specialised hospital treatment after Hamas took control of the health department tasked with making referrals abroad.

The office also reports that only 35 per cent of the $615 million Flash Appeal for Gaza launched on 2 February has been received. For example, the 27 agricultural recovery projects aimed at protecting the livelihoods of the most vulnerable farming families received only $2.3 million of the $30 million requested.

The Appeal includes nearly 200 projects by UN agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in response to the emergency humanitarian and early recovery needs of 1.4 million people in Gaza, following the end of the three-week Israeli military offensive launched in late December 2008 with the stated aim of ending rocket attacks by Hamas and other groups.
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UN VOICES CONCERN OVER RIFT PREVENTING PATIENTS LEAVING GAZA FOR TREATMENT

United Nations agencies operating in the Gaza Strip have expressed serious concern over the halting of patients leaving the area for specialised hospital treatment after Hamas took control of the health department tasked with making referrals abroad.

On 22 March, the Hamas de facto authorities in Gaza took over the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health Referral Abroad Department, which oversees the process by which local people receive approval to travel for medical care.

Since then the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Health in the West Bank town of Ramallah has not approved or funded applications for treatment outside of Gaza, affecting many patients with serious and complicated conditions.

In addition, Israel and Egypt will not allow these patients to exit Gaza unless they have been approved by the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah.

According to the UN World Health Organization (WHO), around 900 patients a month were being referred outside of Gaza for treatment at hospitals in Israel, East Jerusalem, Egypt, and Jordan in the first half of 2008.

"We are very worried about the situation," said Tony Laurance, acting Head of WHO in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

"We have already seen referrals affected, and patients will die if they do not receive the treatment they require," he added.

The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory, together with WHO, has intervened to seek the urgent reversal of last week's decision, but have not received a positive response.

"It is not acceptable for essential patient care to be stopped because of an internal political dispute or unilateral steps," said Maxwell Gaylard, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator.

"We call for a rapid solution to be found among the parties concerned to enable referrals to resume and patients' rights to be protected and for Hamas to reverse their decision so that a way forward can be found," he added.
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FROM GAZA TO SUDAN, BAN HIGHLIGHTS CRISES CONFRONTING ARAB WORLD

From the widening fallout of the global economic crisis to the suffering of victims of armed conflict, the Arab world faces insecurity today and the potential for more tomorrow, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Summit of the League of Arab States in Doha today.

"The toll in human lives and deferred development has been tragically high," he said in his address to the gathering. "The region's large groups of refugees and internally displaced persons continue to live with their dignity under attack and with little ability to plan for their futures."

Mr. Ban said he remained gravely concerned about the situation is Gaza, which is dealing with the aftermath of the three-week offensive launched by Israel in late December 2008.

"The people of Gaza are suffering, and the situation at the crossings is intolerable," he stated, asserting that the way forward is a durable ceasefire, open crossings, and Palestinian reconciliation.

On Sudan, the Secretary-General urged the Government once again to reverse its decision to expel key international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and suspend the work of three national NGOs that provide life-sustaining services for more than one million people.

The Sudanese Government took that decision on 4 March, immediately after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for President Omar Al-Bashir, who was also present at today's Summit in the Qatari capital.

"Despite the efforts of Sudanese line ministries, UN agencies and the remaining NGOs, the gaps cannot be filled with existing capacities," Mr. Ban noted concerning the humanitarian crisis in the western Darfur region of the country. "Relief efforts should not become politicized. People in need must be helped irrespective of political differences."

Turning to another hot-spot on the continent, he said the present situation in Somalia offers a "rare window of opportunity," and urged immediate support for the new Government that was sworn in last month.

"Those of us with influence on the groups remaining outside of the peace process should call on them to join for the sake of national reconciliation," Mr. Ban said, adding that more must also be done to promote security on the ground, including by supporting the African Union mission there (AMISOM) and Somali security forces at an upcoming donor conference.

The Secretary-General also highlighted the multiple elections taking place this year in Iraq to strengthen democratic representation, advance the political process and promote stability, and said he looked forward to free and transparent polls on 7 June in Lebanon.

While in Doha, Mr. Ban held bilateral talks today with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Amre Moussa, as well as with the Secretary-General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Foreign Minister of Norway and the President of the United Arab Emirates.

Yesterday, he held separate meetings with the Emir of Qatar and the Presidents of Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, Somalia and Syria.

Tomorrow the Secretary-General will open the International Conference on Afghanistan in The Hague, which will assess the current political, security and development issues in the South Asian nation.
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EFFORTS TO END CURRENT GAZA ‘IMPASSE’ IMPERATIVE – UN POLITICAL CHIEF

A top United Nations official today called for progress to be made in implementing a January Security Council resolution – which calls for a durable ceasefire in Gaza, free access for relief workers and the re-opening of crossings – to break the current impasse and lift the cloud of uncertainty hanging over the region.

Two months have passed since unilateral ceasefires were declared to end the three-week offensive launched by Israel on 27 December with the stated aim of ending rocket attacks by Hamas and other groups.

At least 1,300 Palestinians were killed and some 5,300 were injured in the heavy bombardment and fighting in the densely populated areas of Gaza, which also reduced homes, schools, hospitals and marketplaces to rubble.

"Despite international engagement and support, very little concrete progress has been made on key issues" outlined in resolution 1860, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynn Pascoe told the Council in an open meeting.

"The intolerable situation at Gaza's crossings remains the key impediment to bringing help – and hope – to the people of Gaza," he stressed.

Although the amount of goods entering Gaza has increased and the Israeli Cabinet announced earlier this week that more food would be allowed into the area, "the quality and quantity of imports are insufficient compared to needs," Mr. Pascoe underscored.

He repeated the UN's call on Israel to meet its obligations under international humanitarian law and open the crossings to allow supplies and reconstructions materials in to help rebuild Gaza.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that the ongoing restriction on the entry of cash into the area and the inability of many, including Palestinian Authority (PA) employees, to withdraw their salaries from banks is impacting the livelihoods of some 500,000 Gazans.

"We continue to be concerned that, despite Egyptian efforts, no ceasefire regime is in place," Mr. Pascoe told the meeting, which heard from dozens of speakers.

In spite of stepped-up efforts, no breakthrough has been made in securing the release of Israeli captive Gilad Shalit and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Further, without a ceasefire in place, violence continues in the area, the Under-Secretary-General said, with over 100 rockets and mortars having been fired into Israel from Gaza and 12 Israeli airstrikes during the reporting period.

"We call for an end to all acts of violence, and for respect for international humanitarian law by all parties," he stated.

Mr. Pascoe also noted that the Board of Inquiry set up by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to investigate incidents involving death and damage at UN premises in Gaza during the hostilities will submit its report early next month.

He called on the so-called diplomatic Quartet – comprising the European Union (EU), Russia, the United States and the UN – and the international community to take concerted action to bring stability to Gaza and revive the Middle East peace process.

"We need to have both Israeli and Palestinian governments that are clearly committed to the two-State solution," the official said. "We need a combination of negotiations, the implementation of commitments on the ground, and a strategy for de-escalating tensions and addressing the urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza."
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