UN: Palestinian poverty worsening

[fable]

UN: Palestinian poverty worsening
By Khalid Amayreh in the West Bank

Wednesday 14 December 2005, 22:03 Makka Time, 19:03 GMT

The Israeli occupation is blamed for Palestinian poverty
Related:
Clashes erupt at Fatah's Gaza office
G8 offers $3bn aid to Palestine
Palestine: Country profile

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Poverty is worsening in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories because of continued Israeli military activities and the closure of border crossings between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, a UN report said.

The report on the Palestinian economy, presented to the Donors Conference in London on Tuesday, said further social and economic deterioration was inevitable unless the Palestinian economy is freed from Israel's stranglehold.

The report said up to 37% of the estimated 3.7 million Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip had trouble getting food in 2004. Another 27% were at risk of running into such difficulties.

The report, prepared by UN economic experts, pointed out that nearly half the Palestinian population was poor, with poverty rate in the Gaza Strip reaching a staggering 65%.

Up to 16% of Palestinians - 550,000 - were living on $1.5 a day, with the likelihood that the figure will rise to 35% if aid is not forthcoming.

Repression

The report spoke of continued Israeli repression, especially in the West Bank where the occupation army maintains tight control in population centres.

Israeli restrictions have brought
miseries for Palestinians

It cited the demolition by Israel of 253 homes and structures in the West Bank over the past 10 months. As many as 5000 Palestinians are living in closed-off areas sandwiched between the separation wall and the former armistice line between Israel proper and the West Bank, the report said.

Israel has reaffirmed its refusal to allow safe passage between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, saying the Palestinian Authority had to fight "terror" first.

Dan Halutz ,the Israeli chief of staff, was quoted by the Ha'aretz newspaper on Wednesday as saying that Israel would not allow bus convoys to move between the West Bank and Gaza for the time being.

Israel had earlier promised to allow Palestinians safe passage between the two regions by the middle of December.

Poll

The report's findings are generally supported by an opinion poll published in the occupied territories on Tuesday.

The poll, conducted by the Palestinian Centre for Public Opinion in Beit Sahur and covering a representative sample of 1873 respondents, showed that nearly three quarters of Palestinians were worried about the livelihood of their families.

More than 53% evaluated their economic condition as "bad", while two-thirds agreed that the PA has failed to create job opportunities.

According to Nabil Kukali, who supervised the opinion survey, Palestinian society is experiencing a grave but silent economic and social crisis that he said stemmed from the Israeli occupation.

"There is a conspicuous deterioration of living conditions which underscores the desperate need for international support"

Nabil Kukali,
Professor of management at Hebron University

"There is a conspicuous deterioration of living conditions which underscores the desperate need for international support," Kukali told Aljazeera.net.

Kukali, a professor of management at Hebron University, said continued economic deprivation in the occupied territories would eventually lead to anarchy.

Financial crisis

Nigel Roberts, the head of the World Bank mission in the Palestinian territories, blamed Israeli restrictions on the movement of people and flow of goods and services for economic stagnation in Palestine.

Roberts, who is taking part in the London conference, told the London-based al-Hayat newspaper that the Palestinian Authority was no longer able to pay the salaries to its civil servants and employees.

Roberts opposed economic separation between the Palestinian territories and Israel, pointing out that 80% to 90% of Palestinian exports went to Israel.

[esoter1c]

Israel has reaffirmed its refusal to allow safe passage between the West Bank and Gaza Strip, saying the Palestinian Authority had to fight "terror" first.

They are, they're fighting Israel.

[thebobman]

UN: Sky Continues to Be Blue, Details Developing

This is still a shitty situation, but does anybody really take the UN seriously since the US gave them the finger and went into Iraq?

[esoter1c]

Originally Posted by thebobman

UN: Sky Continues to Be Blue, Details Developing

This is still a shitty situation, but does anybody really take the UN seriously since the US gave them the finger and went into Iraq?

Me thinks after the un let israel break over a 100 un resolutions and then let Amerisrael invade iraq after iraq had broken 18 un resolutions, the whole world just kind of said, "Whatever".

[fable]

Originally Posted by thebobman

UN: Sky Continues to Be Blue, Details Developing

This is still a shitty situation, but does anybody really take the UN seriously since the US gave them the finger and went into Iraq?

no argument from me!

but considering the UN is just a gentlemans lounge for the imperialist elite, ill take this latest with a grain of salt.

in other news brazilian forces leading the UN forces in Haiti confront yet another reporter with threats that they will pass their pictures onto the HNP!

[fable]

Amerisrael

i wanna chuckle, but i also want to cry.

[PaIniNyErAnUs]

Originally Posted by 3507321C

Me thinks after the un let israel break over a 100 un resolutions and then let Amerisrael invade iraq after iraq had broken 18 un resolutions, the whole world just kind of said, "Whatever".

yeah whatever

[fable]

Originally Posted by 3507321C

Me thinks after the un let israel break over a 100 un resolutions and then let Amerisrael invade iraq after iraq had broken 18 un resolutions, the whole world just kind of said, "Whatever".

yeah, in regards to a question of their legitmacy.

But i sure as hell hope people are taking notice of what their troops are doing in Haiti.

[esoter1c]

Originally Posted by fable

yeah, in regards to a question of their legitmacy.

But i sure as hell hope people are taking notice of what their troops are doing in Haiti.

Even the people who do read, watch news, "care", still really don't know what the fux going on or why, the media won't let them.

In order to fully understand the world situation you have to be a fuckin' lunatic.

[esoter1c]

Originally Posted by fable

i wanna chuckle, but i also want to cry.

I should copyright that.

[fable]

In order to fully understand the world situation you have to be a fuckin' lunatic

or a revolutionary in training who trying to adopt dialectic logic.

[esoter1c]

Originally Posted by fable

or a revolutionary in training who trying to adopt dialectic logic.

The revolution is over dude, didn't anyone tell you ?

We're lucky if we get Soylent chips @ this point.

[fable]

The revolution is over dude, didn't anyone tell you ?

still the reigning champion of funny and obscure images!

nonetheless, revolution in Canada is fledgling, in Cuba it faces setbacks but still progresses, in Venezuela it morphs, in Iraq it fights tooth an nail to begin, in Argentina it lies in wait, in Bolivia it dreams, and in the US it incubates. There are many more to list, and much more to plan.

It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected. - Sun Tzu

[esoter1c]

Originally Posted by fable

still the reigning champion of funny and obscure images!

nonetheless, revolution in Canada is fledgling, in Cuba it faces setbacks but still progresses, in Venezuela it morphs, in Iraq it fights tooth an nail to begin, in Argentina it lies in wait, in Bolivia it dreams, and in the US it incubates. There are many more to list, and much more to plan.

I owe it all to LSD and Google.