UN AGENCY CALLS ON ISRAEL TO LIFT BOOK BLOCKADE OF GAZA SCHOOLS

The main United Nations agency caring for Palestinian refugees today called on Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza to allow in educational materials for schools, stressing that these can serve as a major weapon in promoting tolerance and peace.

"There is a long history of <"http://www.un.org/unrwa/english.html">UNRWA experiencing obstacles with the Israeli authorities in getting educational materials such as paper and books into Gaza," spokesman Christopher Gunness said, referring to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

"This is particularly hard to understand as UNRWA's education programmes, particularly subjects such as human rights and the Universal Declaration [of Human Rights], are underpinned by universal values which are informed by toleration and the need to resolve conflict peacefully.

"It is in the interests of everyone who believes in peace that the blockade of Gaza should be lifted especially for educational materials," he added.

Mr. Gunness also noted that the agency has still been unable to get building materials into Gaza, which means that 60,000 structures, including schools, which were damaged or destroyed during the conflict earlier this year, remain in a state of disrepair.

Earlier this week, UNRWA reported that the two-year-long Israeli blockade of Gaza continued to cause severe deprivation to its population of some 1.5 million, with unprecedented unemployment rates soaring to around 40 per cent.

Israel imposed the blockade after Hamas, which does not recognize Israel's right to exist, seized control of Gaza from the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.

ISRAEL’S APPROVAL OF MORE SETTLEMENTS SPARKS BAN’S DEEP CONCERN

The Israeli Government's recent approval of additional settlement construction in the occupied Palestinian territory has sparked Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's deep concern, with the United Nations chief reiterating his call for an end to all settlement activity.

The illegal building is contrary to both international law and the so-called Roadmap plan for Israel and Palestine to live side by side in peace, Mr. Ban said in a <"http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=4056">statement issued today by his spokesperson.

He "urges Israel to respond positively to the important efforts under way to create the conditions for effective Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and reiterates his call on Israel to stop all settlement activity, including natural growth, and dismantle all outposts erected since March 2001 in the occupied Palestinian territory," it added.

In a move widely condemned by UN officials, Israel last month forced dozens of people registered with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (<"http://www.un.org/unrwa/">UNRWA) from their home in the Arab neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem.

Israeli settlers moved into the empty homes, with the evicted families' belongings loaded on to trucks and dumped at the edge of a busy Jerusalem road.

According to Robert Serry, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, the evictions flout the united calls by the international community, including those by the diplomatic Quartet comprising the UN, the United States, the European Union and Russia.

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS MANDATE OF UN FORCE IN SOUTHERN LEBANON

The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) for an extra year as it commended its role, in concert with the national armed forces, in creating a new strategic environment in the south of the country.

In resolution 1884, the Council welcomed "the expansion of coordinated activities between UNIFIL and the Lebanese armed forces and encourages further enhancement of this cooperation."

The 15-member reiterated its call on all concerned parties to respect the cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hizbollah following their 2006 war, as well as the entirety of the Blue Line along their border.

UNIFIL, established in 1978, is tasked with ensuring that the area between the Blue Line and the Litani River is free of unauthorized weapons, personnel and assets, and it also cooperates with the Lebanese armed forces so they can fulfil their security responsibilities.

Today's resolution also welcomed UNIFIL's moves to implement Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse.

Addressing reporters, Philip John Parham, Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom, which holds the rotating Council presidency this month, said that unanimous adoption of the resolution extending the Force's mandate "demonstrates the Council's clear and strong support for the very valuable work UNIFIL is doing."
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Human Rights Watch Weekly Digest

Israel: Investigate 'White Flag' Shootings of Gaza Civilians Internal Israeli Military Investigations Inadequate During Israel's recent Gaza offensive, Israeli soldiers unlawfully shot and killed 11 Palestinian civilians, including five women and four children, who were in groups waving white flags to convey their civilian status.

US: Students With Disabilities Face Corporal Punishment at Higher Rates ACLU and Human Rights Watch Seek Ban on Physical Discipline at School. Students with disabilities face corporal punishment in public schools at disproportionately high rates. The physical discipline, which often includes beatings, can worsen these students' medical conditions and undermine their education.

UN Security Council: Create Senior Post on Women and War. The UN Security Council should urgently establish a high-level post to fill a leadership gap relating to women and armed conflict. A special representative of the secretary-general assigned to this issue would be able to push for protection against sexual violence and to promote equal participation by women in peace talks.

Karzai has made an unthinkable deal to sell Afghan women out in return for the support of fundamentalists in the August 20 election. So much for any credentials he claimed as a moderate on women's issues.

Burma: Aung San Suu Kyi Verdict 'Reprehensible' This trial was a farce, a brutal distortion of the legal process. By silencing prominent opponents through bogus trials, the generals are clearly showing why the elections they have been touting for next year won't bring change.

DRC: Clinton Should Highlight Rape and Justice IssuesKillings and brutal sexual violence against women, girls and also men have massively increased in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo since the start of military operations in January 2009.

Russia: Ensure Independent Inquiry Into Activists' KillingsThis is a ghastly crime, and its authors must be brought to justice. These killings, less than a month after the murder of Natalia Estemirova, make it absolutely clear that anyone trying to help the people of Chechnya is in mortal danger.

Mexico: Calderon Denies Military Impunity. The claim by President Felipe Calderón of Mexico today that army abuse cases are effectively prosecuted in Mexico flies in the face of all available evidence.

UK/Iraq: UK War Inquiry Should Cover Rights Investigate Allegations of Serious Abuses Committed Against Civilians, DetaineesThe British Government's Inquiry into its Iraq War policies should include human rights abuses as part of its investigation.

Saudi Arabia: Counterterrorism Efforts Violate RightsIndefinite Detention, Inappropriate Reeducation, and Flawed Trials Saudi Arabia's response to terrorism for years has been to lock up thousands of suspects and throw away the key. The authorities made believe that religious counseling could replace trials, and now they are pretending that convictions after secret trials can legitimize continued detention.

Gaza/Israel: Hamas Rocket Attacks on Civilians Unlawful

Launches from Populated Areas Endanger Israelis and Palestinians

(Jerusalem) - Hamas should repudiate unlawful rocket attacks against Israeli population centers and hold those responsible for them to account, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released today. Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups have over several years launched thousands of rockets at Israeli cities and towns, including hundreds during Israel's three-week military offensive in Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009. A UN fact-finding investigation into serious violations of the laws of war by both sides in the Gaza conflict, led by Judge Richard Goldstone, is due to report back to the UN Human Rights Council in September.

The 31-page report, "Rockets from Gaza: Harm to Civilians from Palestinian Armed Groups' Rocket Attacks," documents attacks by Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups since November 2008 that killed three Israeli civilians and seriously injured dozens of others, damaged property and forced residents to leave their homes. The rockets unlawfully struck populated areas up to 40 kilometers inside Israel, placing roughly 800,000 Israeli civilians at risk. Rockets that fell short of their intended targets in Israel killed two girls and wounded others in Gaza during this period. Palestinian armed groups that launched rockets from densely populated areas also unlawfully put Gaza civilians at risk of Israeli counterstrikes.

"Hamas rocket attacks targeting Israeli civilians are unlawful and unjustifiable, and amount to war crimes," said Iain Levine, program director at Human Rights Watch. "As the governing authority in Gaza, Hamas should publicly renounce rocket attacks on Israeli civilian centers and punish those responsible, including members of its own armed wing."

"Rockets from Gaza" focuses on events after November 4, 2008, when Palestinian armed groups resumed rocket fire after an Israeli military incursion into Gaza. Based on interviews with witnesses to rocket attacks and launches, field investigations of strike sites in Israel and Gaza, and media and other reports, the report details the cases of Israeli and Palestinian civilians killed or wounded by rocket attacks in December 2008 and January 2009. While Human Rights Watch found no clear practice by Palestinian armed groups to deliberately use civilians to shield rocket launches from counterattack, it found they frequently violated the separate duty under the laws of war to take all feasible precautions to avoid endangering civilians when they launched rockets from densely populated areas.

"Hamas forces violated the laws of war both by firing rockets deliberately or indiscriminately at Israeli cities and by launching them from populated areas and endangering Gazan civilians," said Levine.

Hamas has significantly limited rocket attacks in recent months, but has not renounced attacks that deliberately or indiscriminately target civilians - serious violations of the laws of war - or brought to justice those responsible for initiating such attacks, or for endangering Palestinian civilians by launching rockets from densely populated areas in Gaza. Hamas's armed wing claimed responsibility for the three Israeli civilian deaths documented in the report. During the Israeli offensive in December and January, the armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed to have fired 820 rockets at Israel.

The locally made Qassam rockets and Soviet-designed Grad rockets used by Hamas and other armed groups cannot be aimed with any reliability. Under the laws of war, such weapons are indiscriminate when used against targets in densely populated areas. The absence of Israeli military forces in the areas struck by the rockets, as well as statements from the leaders of the Palestinian armed groups, indicate that the armed groups deliberately intended to strike Israeli civilians and civilian structures. For example, Abu Obeida, a spokesman for Hamas's Qassam Brigades, said in a video released on January 5, 2009 that "continuing the incursion will only make us increase our rocket range [...]. We will double the number of Israelis under fire."

Under the laws of war, individuals who willfully authorize or carry out deliberate or indiscriminate attacks against civilians are committing war crimes.

An Israeli early warning siren system, which gives civilians roughly 10 to 45 seconds to find cover in prepared shelters, depending on their distance from the launch site in Gaza, has undoubtedly limited the number of civilian casualties in Israel. However, the repeated attacks have, over months and even years, taken a psychological toll on the population in areas close to Gaza. The laws of war prohibit attacks the primary purpose of which is to spread terror among the civilian population. Because of the rocket attacks, thousands of people have moved away from frequently targeted areas such as Sderot municipality.

Palestinian armed groups have argued that the rocket attacks are appropriate reprisals for Israeli military operations and the ongoing economic blockade of Gaza, and are a lawful response to Israel's control over Gaza. Human Rights Watch has also documented numerous laws of war violations by Israeli forces in Gaza, but violations by one party to a conflict never justify violations by the other. Attacks targeting civilians are never permitted under the laws of war, which require armed forces to target only military objectives, and to take all feasible precautions to spare civilians from harm, regardless of the reasons for resorting to armed conflict.

Similarly, although Israeli military operations caused far greater total harm to civilian lives - killing several hundred civilians with air strikes, artillery, tank shelling, and other attacks - and property than operations by Palestinian armed groups, violations of the laws of war are not determined by the number of civilian casualties, but by whether each side is refraining from conducting deliberate or indiscriminate attacks against civilians and is taking all feasible precautions to minimize civilian loss.

"Human Rights Watch is committed to documenting the worst violations of the laws of war committed by all sides in armed conflicts throughout the world," Levine said. "We published this report because civilians must never be the object of attack, regardless of the relative strength of the attacker."

Using unsophisticated weapons does not justify failure to respect the laws of war, just as an adversary's use of sophisticated weapons does not provide a pass to its opponents to ignore those laws, Human Rights Watch said. Such disparities exist in many wars, and if they provided a justification for ignoring the laws of war the civilian toll in armed conflicts would rise dramatically. The loss of civilian life from armed conflict can be minimized only if each party recognizes its legal obligations to abide by the laws of war, regardless of the weaponry at its disposal.

"Rockets from Gaza" is the fifth in a series of reports Human Rights Watch has issued on the Israeli offensive launched on December 27, 2008. Two reports are forthcoming.

UN ENVOY SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ISRAEL’S ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ EVICTIONS OF PALESTINIANS

A senior United Nations envoy has deplored Israel's "unacceptable" evictions of Palestinian refugee families from the homes in East Jerusalem, stressing that the move only serves to amplify already high tensions and block progress towards the peace process.

Dozens of people registered with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) were forced out by Israeli security forces over the weekend from the Arab neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, with Israeli settlers moving into their homes.

"These actions are contrary to the provisions of the Geneva Conventions related to the occupied territory," Robert Serry, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said in a statement issued yesterday in Jerusalem.

The evictions, he said, flout the united calls by the international community, including those by the diplomatic Quartet comprising the UN, the United States, the European Union and Russia.

In a joint communiqué issued after a June meeting, the Quartet called on Israel to "to refrain from provocative actions in East Jerusalem, including home demolition and evictions."

According to UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness, the evicted families' belongings were loaded onto trucks and dumped at the edge of a busy Jerusalem road.

Today, the UN agency helped the refugees – who lived in their houses for over half a century – recover their possessions, he said.

"Of the 53 people evicted, 20 are children and are reported to be particularly traumatized," Mr. Gunness said.

Mr. Serry said in his statement that the UN rejects Israeli claims that the evictions are a matter for municipal and domestic courts, urging Israel to abide by international law and its obligations under the Roadmap plan for Israel and Palestine to live side by side in peace.

Last week, he condemned the Israeli security forces' takeover of a house in Sheikh Jarrah, noting that the recent "upsurge in orders for house demolitions and evictions in East Jerusalem is contrary to the Roadmap. Any settlement activity in East Jerusalem is contrary to international law and cannot prejudice the outcome of negotiations."
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MORE PROGRESS NEEDED ON KEY ISSUES BETWEEN LEBANON AND NEIGHBOURS – UN ENVOY

The formation of new Governments in Lebanon and Israel bodes well for the implementation of the Security Council resolution that helped to end their 2006 war, a senior United Nations envoy said today, while lamenting the lack of progress on several key outstanding issues.

"Unfortunately, there remain many areas of 1701 where there has been little progress," Michael Williams, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, told reporters after briefing the Council on the Secretary-General's latest report on the resolution's implementation.

Resolution 1701 called for, among other matters, renewed respect for the Blue Line separating the Lebanese forces and Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), the disarming of militias and an end to arms smuggling.

Mr. Williams noted that, despite repeated criticism by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Israeli air violations of the Blue Line continue "unabated and on a daily basis."

In addition, no date has been set for a withdrawal of the IDF from the northern part of the village of Ghajar, as required under resolution 1701.

As noted by Mr. Ban in his report, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) submitted a proposal one year ago to facilitate the full withdrawal of the IDF. The Lebanese Government said last August that it was ready to accept the proposal. While Israeli officials reaffirmed their commitment to resolving the issue, they said they were not in a position to provide a definitive response since the new Government was undertaking a comprehensive policy review.

The Special Coordinator said the issue of Israel's withdrawal from Ghajar is going to be one of the main areas of work in the coming months. "We believe now with a new Government in Israel, the formation of a new Government in Lebanon, the hard work of UNIFIL, that the atmosphere may be more propitious to a settlement."

He added that he believed the Ghajar issue "is far more achievable in the short run" than that of the Shab'a Farms area, which Lebanon and Syria have yet to resolve. The establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two neighbours over the past year, he noted, provides a "sound basis" on which to tackle their border issues.

"We believe that with the successful implementation of diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Syria, and other positive developments in the relations between the two countries… that the next step to be taken will be the delineation of the common border between the two countries."

Mr. Williams said a "deeply disturbing" development in recent months was the uncovering of alleged Israeli spy networks in many parts of Lebanon.

"If these allegations are confirmed in court, this would constitute a very serious violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and, consequently, undermine relevant Security Council resolutions," he stated.

As for allegations that UNIFIL was facilitating the passage of individuals involved in the spy rings across the Blue Line, Mr. Williams described them as "without foundation."

Despite these developments, he said he believed that, "three years after the 2006 war, with the renewal of a democratic mandate for the new Government of Lebanon that Prime Minister Saad Hariri is trying to form, there is a sound basis in the coming months for proceeding with the further implementation of 1701."
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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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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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ISRAELI CHECKPOINTS CONTINUE RESTRICTING PALESTINIAN MOVEMENT – UN REPORT

New York, May 27 2009 6:00PM
Israeli obstacles continue to constrain the freedom of movement for Palestinians living in the West Bank, according to a new <"http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_movement_and_access_2009_05_25_english.pdf">report by the United Nations humanitarian arm.

Despite several measures implemented by Israel which have eased traffic flow on some routes into the four main cities of Nablus, Hebron, Tulkarm and Ramallah, other actions have further controlled Palestinian access while easing the movement of Israeli settlers, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA) report noted.

The combination of physical obstacles, including checkpoints, roadblocks and the separation Barrier, as well as administrative and legal restrictions, such as prohibited roads, affect Palestinians' vehicular and pedestrian access throughout the West Bank.

"The Israeli authorities have justified this system as a temporary measure to contain violent confrontations with Palestinians and to protect Israeli citizens, both in Israel and in the West Bank settlements, from Palestinians," the new publication said.

During the reporting period – September 2008-March 2009 – OCHA field teams said they documented 634 physical obstacles.

The expansion of checkpoints, which often entails the seizure of Palestinian land in the vicinity of an existing checkpoint, as well as the replacing of rudimentary obstacles with more permanent ones, are among the measures which are entrenching a system of restrictions which "diminishes the prospects for a genuine improvement in the degree of control that Palestinians have over the physical space of the West Bank," the report said.

"Without such improvement, the possibilities available for the Palestinian population to address its own needs will necessarily remain limited," it added.

Israeli settlements erected in the West Bank since 1967, according to the report, are perhaps the most important factor driving the restrictions. The areas within the boundaries of the nearly 150 settlements, comprising 3 per cent of the West Bank, are inaccessible to Palestinians and further fragment the territory.

The OCHA report concluded that the movement and access restrictions "have resulted in a contraction of the overall space available for Palestinian development and a decrease in the degree of control that Palestinians have over that space.
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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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ISRAEL HANDS OVER CLUSTER BOMB MAPS TO UN FORCE IN LEBANON

ISRAEL HANDS OVER CLUSTER BOMB MAPS TO UN FORCE IN LEBANON
New York, May 13 2009 5:00PM
The Israeli Defence Forces have handed over to the United Nations data and maps on the cluster munitions it fired over southern Lebanon during the 2006 conflict between the two countries.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (<"http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/missions/unifil/">UNIFIL) received the technical strike data and related maps yesterday, and is currently examining and assessing the information, Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for the world body, told reporters in New York.

"UNIFIL will be handing over the data to the Lebanese Armed Forces," he added.

According to the UN Mine Action Coordination Centre of South Lebanon, the area was blanketed by cluster munitions during the month-long conflict in the summer of 2006.

An estimated 40 square kilometres of land became contaminated with hundreds of thousands of unexploded cluster munitions, which have killed at least 20 people and maimed nearly 200 others so far.

Cluster munitions have been cleared from the surface of about half of South Lebanon's known contaminated land, and about 150,000 munitions have been found and destroyed.

Mr. Haq noted that the UN has in the past repeatedly called on Israel to provide the technical strike data on the number, type and location of munitions fired in the conflict to help speed up the clearance operations and prevent casualties among civilians and mine-clearance experts.
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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 REPORT HIGHLIGHTS ‘SHRINKING SPACE’ FOR PALESTINIANS IN BETHLEHEM

UN REPORT HIGHLIGHTS 'SHRINKING SPACE' FOR PALESTINIANS IN BETHLEHEM
New York, May 7 2009 4:00PM
Israeli measures have reduced the amount of land available in Bethlehem for Palestinian use, limited the area's access to resources and restricted its potential for development, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (<"http://ochaonline.un.org/">OCHA) says in a new report.

"Shrinking Space: Urban Contraction and Rural Fragmentation in the Bethlehem Governorate," examines how Israeli measures – such as the Barrier, settlements and closures – have impacted Palestinian livelihoods, development and residential expansion in Bethlehem, which comprises approximately 660 kilometres.

"The space available to the Palestinian population in the Bethlehem governorate has been significantly constricted by Israeli measures such as the continued expansion of Israeli settlements and their outposts," states the <"http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_bethlehem_shrinking_space_may_2009_english.pdf">report.

These measures have reduced Bethlehem's development space, limited its access to resources, severed Bethlehem's historic links to Jerusalem and restricted the urban area's potential for residential and industrial expansion, it adds.

The report notes that the traditional mainstays of the Bethlehem economy such as work in Israel, tourism, agriculture herding and the private sector have been undermined.

Only 13 per cent of land in Bethlehem is available for Palestinian use, and much of it is fragmented, the report shows. In addition, Israel retains security control and jurisdiction over building and planning in 66 per cent of the governorate.

Also, the Barrier route in Bethlehem reaches 10 kilometres into the West Bank. If completed, it will cut off some of the most fertile cultivated land in the governorate as well as 21,000 Palestinian villagers from the urban centre, according to the report.

As of now, the report says, around 175,000 Palestinians live in the Bethlehem governorate. Since 1967, some 86,000 Israelis have also been settled there, and they live in 19 settlements and 16 settlement outposts.

OCHA also outlines steps that can be taken to prevent further deterioration, including halting construction of the Barrier inside the West Bank, opening closed military areas and nature reserves for sustainable Palestinian development, and freezing settlement construction.
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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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SECRETARY-GENERAL WELCOMES FORMATION OF NEW ISRAELI GOVERNMENT

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today welcomed the formation of a new Government in Israel, underscoring his desire for close cooperation and dialogue with the administration to advance the work of the United Nations.

Mr. Ban "looks forward to working with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the full range of peace and security issues in the region," according to a statement issued by the Secretary-General's spokesperson.

"This includes the resumption of the Middle East peace process, with the aim of achieving an independent and viable Palestinian State living side-by-side in peace with a secure Israel, and a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace as envisaged in Security Council resolutions," the statement added.

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GREATER ACCESS FOR GOODS AND PEOPLE INTO GAZA A MUST, STRESSES UN

GREATER ACCESS FOR GOODS AND PEOPLE INTO GAZA A MUST, STRESSES UN
New York, Mar 18 2009 5:00PM

The overall levels of humanitarian assistance allowed into Gaza remain below what is urgently required, the United Nations reports, adding that lengthy clearance procedures for aid workers are also hampering vital relief efforts.

A total of 671 truckloads of goods – including 121 from humanitarian agencies – were allowed entry into Gaza this past week, according to an update from the office of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied Palestinian territory.

This is less than the 1,080 trucks that were let in the week before, it notes, adding that items banned by the Israeli authorities over the past week included jam, biscuits and tomato paste.

In addition, no petrol or diesel was allowed entry into Gaza last week via Israel, and approximately 90 per cent of Gaza's population suffers from intermittent power supply, with power cuts of between four and five hours daily.

The Humanitarian Coordinator's office also notes that Israeli clearance procedures for access into Gaza by international staff from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) continue to be very lengthy, thereby hindering the work of aid groups.

While it has been about two months since the end of the Israeli military offensive in Gaza, the office reports that rocket fire by Palestinian militants into Israel and air strikes on Gaza by Israeli forces continues.

At least 1,300 Palestinians were killed and some 5,300 were injured in the three-week 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 homes, schools, hospitals and marketplaces to rubble.

A UN Development Programme (UNDP) report on the aftermath of the Israeli military operations finds that 65 per cent of Gazans live below the income poverty line and 37 per cent live in extreme poverty.

The report adds that 60 per cent of the unemployed are extremely poor – compared to 56 per cent before the recent Gaza conflict.

"Most households in the Gaza Strip have suffered from limited access to basics such as food, water, electricity, sanitation and money, but their highest need now is personal security," the agency notes.
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EU: Demand Accountability for Gaza Conflict Laws of War Violations

The European Union should press for a comprehensive and impartial international inquiry into allegations of serious violations of international law committed by Israeli and Palestinian forces in Gaza and southern Israel, Human Rights Watch said today. Failure to do so would suggest an indefensible double standard in the application of international justice.

In a letter sent today to EU foreign ministers attending the General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting in Brussels, Human Rights Watch said that "failure to push for accountability in Gaza would undermine the credibility of both the EU as a global voice for international justice and international justice institutions themselves."

"The European Union should publicly call for an international investigation into violations of international law during the Gaza conflict," said Lotte Leicht, European Union director of Human Rights Watch. "An EU failure to insist on accountability not only for pariahs like Sudan but also for friendly states such as Israel will badly undercut the EU's credibility on behalf of international justice."

Both Israel and Hamas have a poor record of conducting impartial investigations and of holding members of their own forces accountable for war crimes, the letter said. Similarly, current and planned international investigations are inadequate to address the apparent violations that occurred on both sides during the conflict.

The letter presents Human Rights Watch's basic findings on laws-of-war violations committed by both sides. Regarding Israel, Human Rights Watch's primary concerns are: the ongoing closure of Gaza, amounting to collective punishment; the use of high-explosive heavy artillery as well as of air-burst white phosphorus munitions in densely populated areas; the shooting of unarmed civilians holding white flags; the targeting of civilian structures; inadequate warnings to civilians of impending attack; and the wanton destruction of civilian property.

Regarding Hamas, Human Rights Watch's key concerns are: the firing of rockets deliberately and indiscriminately into civilian areas of Israel; the shooting of rockets and the conduct of military operations from within populated areas in Gaza; and the beatings and killings of Palestinian political opponents and critics in Gaza.