UN HUMANITARIAN OFFICIAL URGES ISRAEL TO LIFT CRIPPLING RESTRICTIONS ON GAZA

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From: UNNews <UNNews@un.org>
Date: 3 Jul 2013 12:00:00 -0400
Subject: UN HUMANITARIAN OFFICIAL URGES ISRAEL TO LIFT CRIPPLING
RESTRICTIONS ON GAZA
To: news11@ny-mail-p-lb-028.ptc.un.org

UN HUMANITARIAN OFFICIAL URGES ISRAEL TO LIFT CRIPPLING RESTRICTIONS ON GAZA
New York, Jul 3 2013 12:00PM
A senior United Nations humanitarian official today urged the Israeli
Government to lift restrictions on the free movement of people and
goods in the Gaza Strip, as he met with Palestinian farmers and
fishermen whose livelihoods have been ruined by the measures.

James W. Rawley, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the occupied
Palestinian territory, learned first-hand the impact of the
restrictions on Palestinian livelihoods as he led a visit of
humanitarian agencies to Gaza.

"The cumulative impact of Israel's restrictions, some of which have
been in place for more than a decade, has devastated the livelihoods
of families in Gaza, such as the farmers and fishermen we met today,"
said Mr. Rawley, who is also UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the
Middle East Peace Process.

"These restrictions affect the poorest the most; they impede
development of a sustainable economy and increase dependency on aid,"
he added in a news release.

The visit to Gaza comes as the Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) released a new update in which it pointed
out that the longstanding restrictions on the movement of people and
goods to, from and within Gaza have continued to undermine the living
conditions of 1.7 million people.

"Many of the current restrictions, which were originally imposed in
the early 1990's, were intensified in June 2007, following the Hamas
takeover of Gaza and the imposition of a blockade by Israel," it
stated.

The update added that some of them have been subsequently eased since
2010. These restrictions have reduced access to livelihoods, essential
services and housing, disrupted family life, and undermined the
people's hopes for a secure and prosperous future.

Recent assessments have shown that 57 per cent of people in Gaza do
not have money to buy sufficient food and 80 per cent of families
receive some form of international aid.

"The economy is effectively kept alive through public expenditure,
international aid and the illegal tunnel trade, in which thousands of
workers, some of them children, continue to risk their lives every
day," stated the news release.

It went on to note that long-term restrictions on access to as much as
35 per cent of Gaza's agricultural land and currently more than
two-thirds of its fishing areas have resulted in estimated annual
economic losses of over $76 million.

Also, the continued ban on the transfer of produce and other goods
from Gaza to its traditional markets in the West Bank and Israel has
effectively prevented sustainable economic growth; less than one
truckload of goods per day (on average) exited Gaza in the first half
of 2013, compared to 38 during the first half of 2007 before the
imposition of the closure.

"While there has been some improvement in access to land and sea areas
following the 21 November 2012 ceasefire agreement, only a full
lifting of restrictions on access, as well as on exports and transfers
of produce, will enable recovery of the fishing and agricultural
sectors and the livelihoods of those who depend upon them," said Mr.
Rawley.

He also voiced concern that measures undertaken to enforce access
restrictions on land and at sea continue to place Palestinian farmers,
fishermen and other civilians at serious physical risk.

The Humanitarian Coordinator said that while Israel has legitimate
security concerns, any response to them, including limitations on the
free movement of people and goods, must comply with international law.
"They must be proportionate to a specific threat and must not be
punitive in nature.

"Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have the capacity to develop their
communities and to build a sustainable local economy," he stated.
"Only the full lifting of these long-term restrictions will enable
them to do so."

Jul 3 2013 12:00PM
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