Prof. John Dugard, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, issued the following statement today:
On 25 June 2006 Israel embarked on a military operation in Gaza that has resulted in over 300 deaths, including many civilians; over a thousand injuries; large-scale devastation of public facilities and private homes; the destruction of agricultural lands; the disruption of hospitals, clinics and schools; the denial of access to adequate electricity, water and food; and the occupation and imprisonment of the people of Gaza. This brutal collective punishment of a people, not a government, has passed largely unnoticed by the international community.
The Quartet, comprising the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and the Russian Federation, has done little to halt Israel’s attacks. Worse still, the Security Council has failed to adopt any resolution on the subject or attempt to restore peace to the region. The time has come for urgent action on the part of the Security Council. Failure to act at this time will seriously damage the reputation of the Security Council.
End of Communication
Best,
Judith Harel
UN OCHA
Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Information and Advocacy Unit
Tel:02-582-9962 / 5853
Mobile: 0546-600528
Web-site: www.ochaopt.org
Shrouded in silence
Daphna Baram
Last night, 18 people were killed in the Israeli bombing on Beit Hanoun, most of them women and children. The town in north Gaza has been swamped with blood for more than 10 days now, but this was the highest death toll for one night so far. The Israeli government seems to want to ensure that every child to survive the blitz on Beit Hanoun will want to be a suicide bomber when he or she grows up. It also seems to want to ensure that not that many children in Beit Hanoun will ever grow up.
If anybody thinks Israel’s new bloody policies contradict Ariel Sharon’s vision, shared by Ehud Olmert, of disengagement, then it is time to think again. The promise to the Israeli voters, attached to the withdrawal from Gaza, was always that after withdrawal we could “hit them hard” without jeopardising the settlers or our soldiers. So here we go. Just like southern Lebanon, which for years was the place for Israel to take vengeance for its frustration, Gaza is now seen by Israel as fair game. [More]