(from my e-mail)
As you probably know, families throughout the Gaza Strip are suffering from a terrible lack of food. It started after last year’s “disengagement” and has become critical since the Palestinian Legislative Election two months ago. Israel controls the Karni crossing, through which goods go in and out of Gaza, and has kept it closed almost constantly.
Just this morning I spoke with my dear friend Dr. Mona Elfarra in Gaza. I called to ask her about the crisis and what MECA and our supporters could do to help. She told me that last month there was no baby formula.
Now there is no flour. All the bakeries in Gaza are closed. Normally, bread is a staple of the Palestinian diet, and often the only food families can afford.
Due to recent international pressure, the Israeli government is opening the Karni crossing sporadically and some food is getting through.
With your immediate help we can get this food to hungry children in Gaza.
Our goal is to raise $10,000 by this coming Friday, March 24, to feed 200 families.
We will wire your contribution, along with hundreds of others, directly to Dr. Mona. She’s working with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society to put together and distribute parcels of milk, cheese and other staples for families in Gaza.
The children are hungry and they are counting on you and me – as they have many times before – for help.
Please don’t delay. Send an online contribution to the Middle East Children’s Alliance right now, and please be as generous as you possibly can.
The callousness of the Israeli government—which is legally bound to let humanitarian aid through—is alarming. After the Palestinians elected members of Hamas, a leading advisor to the Israeli Prime Minister said that cutting aid is “like an appointment with a dietician. The Palestinians will get a lot thinner, but won’t die.” Today an Israeli official (speaking anonymously) confirmed that the Karni closure was in part to send a message to Hamas.
Meanwhile, outside the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, a demonstration that included 30 Palestinian children urged Israel to let food through.
Please stand with these brave children—and hundreds of thousands of others who are going to bed hungry night after night—by making an online contribution right now.
Thank you for helping us feed the children.
Sincerely,
Barbara Lubin
Founder and Executive Director
Click here to make an online donation!
Background
In early February, Israel moved quickly to punish the Palestinians for exercising their right to vote and withheld $ 50 million in Palestinian tax revenues. In a move to deflect any criticism of its punitive decision to freeze the reimbursements, Israel said it would do nothing to hamper humanitarian aid missions to the West Bank and Gaza and that it would uphold its November agreement that it would not prohibit goods from leaving or entering Gaza. It has done just the opposite.
For the past two months Israel has stopped regular foodstuffs and humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, including desperately needed anesthetics and life saving nutritional supplements like baby formula. It also stopped all Palestinian exports from Gaza so that Gaza’s farmers have suffered losses that they will never recoup. By March 19, Israel’s two-part, 60 day closure of the al-Mintar Crossing (Karni Crossing) in the Gaza strip had caused an unprecedented food shortage and cost Palestinians more than $50 million dollars in economic losses, especially in agriculture. For weeks, Palestinian Human Rights Organizations, the UN and international aid and economic bodies were warning of major humanitarian crisis and called on Israel to end the siege.
The national news reported that on March 20, Israel re-opened the crossing for a few hours allowing several trucks to enter and deliver several loads of non-essential goods like soda pop. Today, Israel again opened the crossing and allowed some wheat flour, cooking oil and other emergency items to enter. Israel did not say, however, that today’s opening was to be permanent. It will take more than just a few shipments today to get UN distribution centers back up to capacity and Gazan bread shops up and running again.
email: meca@mecaforpeace.org
phone: 510-548-0542
web: http://www.mecaforpeace.org