Weekly Briefing No. 22: 12-14-07 International Red Cross Report In this Briefing: SPECIAL: A Report from the International Committee of the Red Cross summarizing the situation of Palestinians under occupation. Called "Dignity Denied", this excellent but concise overview with pictures covers both the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and contains a link to pdf files of the entire document. See: http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/palestine-report-131207 Other Articles in this Briefing: Gaza Seige tightens after Annapolis: 3 articles West Bank: 4 articles, including National Geographic More on Annapolis: 2 articles ***************************** Gaza Seige Tightens: (1) Seige that spells slow death for the innocents by Ed O'Laughlin (December 11, 2007) Note: This is an excellent summary article that also covers the West Bank. Excerpt: Baby Amra is not expected to die quickly if denied proper treatment. Nor would any single factor or player be directly responsible for his death. If he dies it will be partly because he was sick, partly because he was weak, partly because he could not escape from Gaza, partly because the things he needed to survive were not provided to him quickly enough or in sufficient quantity; a variety of reasons that the Israeli government, the rival Palestinian factions and international humanitarian bodies all seek to blame on each other. In this the child resembles the Gaza Strip itself, a real-life dystopia cut off from the outside world where, under the pressure of half a dozen or so slowly tightening screws, life is coming apart at every seam. Full Article: http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=15594&CategoryId=5 (2) Gaza's Child Labour on the Rise (By Owen Fay, Al Jazeera English, 12-01-07) Excerpt: In the streets of Gaza, isolated by the Palestinian government and much of the world, growing numbers of children are being sent out to work. With 70 per cent of people in Gaza living below the poverty line, children are being forced to take on the role of provider for their struggling families. Full Article: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6E62579B-72A6-41B2-8639-397B364C268A.htm See Also: Gaza's Donkeys in Demand as Fuel Crisis Mounts http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=15593&CategoryId=5 (3) UNICEF: Education suffers amidst political tension and conflict in Gaza © UNICEF video Girls at a school in the Gaza Strip, where conflict and poverty are hampering the ability of Palestinian children to succeed in school. By Toni O’Loughlin GAZA STRIP, Occupied Palestinian Territory, 12 December 2007 – Najwa Al Smairi, 11, goes to school just metres from Gaza’s heavily guarded perimeter. She is one of the brightest students in her class but fears failure due to the violence and uncertainty around her. Full Article: http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/oPt_42178.html ***************************** West Bank: (1) Troubled waters adds tension in West Bank By MEL FRYKBERG (Middle East Times)Published: December 03, 2007 A Palestinian boy fills plastic bottles with water from a stream as temperatures reach 100 degrees F in Jericho, West Bank, last July. (UPI Photo/ Debbie Hill via Newscom) TOOLBAR Print Story Add CommentsAmid peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians over how to divide land, there is another conflict bubbling just beneath the surface; this one is over water, a precious resource in the Middle East. The sleepy Palestinian village of Qattaneh just north-west of Jerusalem and with approximately 10,000 inhabitants, many of them refugees, has had its piped water reduced to only one day per week, according to a recent Humanitarian Monitor report released by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Full Story: http://www.metimes.com/International/2007/12/03/troubled_waters_adds_tension_in_west_bank/5494/ (2) National Geographic Article: Bethlehem 2007 A.D. by Michael Finkel (Dec. 2007 Issue) (NOTE: This is not the best article, but the fact that it is in National Geographic is truly remarkable. You might consider complementing them on this article as they are sure to get lambasted for it. -bjo) This is not how Mary and Joseph came into Bethlehem, but this is how you enter now. You wait at the wall. It's a daunting concrete barricade, three stories high, thorned with razor wire. Standing beside it, you feel as if you're at the base of a dam. Israeli soldiers armed with assault rifles examine your papers. They search your vehicle. No Israeli civilian, by military order, is allowed in. And few Bethlehem residents are permitted out—the reason the wall exists here, according to the Israeli government, is to keep terrorists away from Jerusalem. Full Article: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/2007-12/bethlehem/finkel-text.html (3) Israel to Expand Settlements in Spite of Annapolis: See Hundreds of units approved in disputed areas (Haaretz) There are hundreds, even thousands, of planned housing units in the West Bank that have building permits and do not need any further government approval before their construction can begin, Brigadier General Yoav Mordechai, the head of the Civil Administration, told the interministerial committee on illegal outposts Tuesday. Their construction "could cause similar embarrassment to that created by the publication of the tender for building in Har Homa," he added. Full Article:http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/933600.html (4) Restrictions block Palestinian Revival: World Bank (Reuters 12-12-07) - Increased foreign aid and Palestinian plans to rein in government spending will not be enough to revive their economy if Israeli-imposed trade and travel limits stay in place, the World Bank said on Thursday. Full Article: http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSL1326264420071213?rpc=401&&pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0 ***************************** More on Annapolis: (1) Of Arabs at Annapolis by Susan Abulhawa (Palestine Chronicle online) How is it possible that Arab men who command the greatest natural resource ever known to man manage to be utterly powerless to stop the wholesale robbery and rape of Palestine or Iraq? Annapolis was hoopla, smoke and mirrors, much ado about nothing, a ho-down of politically bankrupt men trying to garner popularity among their respective constituencies. It seems that George Bush and Ehud Olmert have figured out how to join the ranks of those who exploit the Palestinian tragedy and suffering to further their political ends without actually doing anything to alleviate that tragedy. Full Article: http://palestinechronicle.com/story-12070733329.htm (2) No Peace in Israel/Palestine By Michael Shaik and Antony Loewenstein (The Age.com December 5, 2007) Excerpt: Rather than confronting Israel over its colonisation of Palestinian land, the Bush administration has chosen to embrace Tony Blair's program of promoting Palestinian economic development, while ignoring Israel's deepening occupation. The contradictions of such a policy are obvious. Factories throughout the Gaza Strip have been forced to close due to Israel's five month blockade, giving rise to an unemployment rate of 50%. According to the Israeli NGO Physicians for Human Rights, hospitals in Gaza are being forced to operate without essential medicines, medical equipment, electricity and even such basics as toilet paper and cleaning materials. Full article: http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/no-peace-in-israelpalestine/2007/12/05/1196812794227.html?page=2