[AS
ALWAYS
PLEASE GO TO THE LINK
TO READ GOOD ARTICLES IN
FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS
(and conversations) THAT
EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY,
JUSTICE & PEACE... and
hopefully Palestine]
Amnesty demands Israel 'immediately' lift Gaza blockade
.jpg) |
Gaza residents wade through sewage after the local wastewater
treatment plant failed, flooding their neighborhood, in early November.
(MaanImages/Ezz Al Zanoon) |
03/12/2013
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- British human rights organization Amnesty
International condemned the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip in a
statement released on Monday, demanding Israel "immediately lift its
blockade" on the besieged coastal enclave "by allowing the delivery of
fuel and other essential supplies into the territory without
restrictions."
The statement highlighted that the situation in
Gaza had deteriorated significantly in the last month, as "Gaza's 1.7
million residents have been living without power for most of the time
and in the shadow of a public health catastrophe, after their sole power
plant was forced to shut down, causing the failure of several sewerage
and water plants."
"This latest harsh setback has exacerbated the
assault on the dignity of Palestinians in Gaza and the massive denial
of rights they have experienced for more than six years because of
Israel’s blockade, together with restrictions imposed by Egypt," Philip
Luther, Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International,
was quoted as saying in the report.
The Gaza Strip has been under
an Israeli blockade for nearly 7 years. However, since the July
military coup, Egypt has strictly enforced the blockade and targeted
underground tunnels that used to provide the strip with a vital lifeline
to the outside world.
The report stressed that the rapid
deterioration of the situation in recent weeks was caused by Egypt's
post-coup crackdown, but also highlighted that, "as the occupying power,
Israel has the primary responsibility for addressing the current crisis
by immediately increasing fuel supplies to Gaza."
Amnesty
International, however, called on Egypt to "facilitate construction of
new power lines" into the southern Gaza Strip, and to negotiate between
Israel and Gaza to end the crisis.
In early November, Gaza
authorities that there was extremely little fuel available in the strip
due to the blockade, leading to widespread disruptions of the
functioning of basic services.
The Amnesty International
statement highlighted the potentially disastrous implications for public
health caused by this lack of fuel, pointing out that "all 291 water
and wastewater facilities in the Gaza Strip are now relying on standby
generators."
It also noted that a large sewage pumping station
had failed south of Gaza City earlier in the month, "allowing more than
35,000 cubic meters of raw sewage to spew into the streets."
Clean-up
did not begin until weeks later due to lack of resources, leaving
thousands of local residents to wade through sewage in order to leave
their homes.
The statement highlighted that water supply was also
deeply restricted because of the tightening of the blockade, and 65
percent of Gaza's population only received access to water "every three
or four days."
'Fundamental human rights' are being violated "For
each day that the Gaza power plant does not receive fuel, the risk of a
massive public health crisis increases. Access to adequate sanitation
and drinking water are fundamental human rights. The power plant
shutdown should never have been allowed to happen," added Philip Luther.
The
statement revealed that the effects of the blockade were also being
felt in hospitals and health facilities, as they were relying on
generators during power outages. These generators, however, are also
effected by the severe lack of fuel, "jeopardizing essential services
like kidney dialysis, operating theaters, blood banks, intensive care
units, neo-natal care, and laboratories, putting patients` lives at
risk."
The statement said that the effects of the crisis were
being felt in every aspect of life, as "businesses, construction, and
much agricultural work ... ground to a halt amid the power cuts and
shortages of fuel and building materials."
This has severely reduced people's access to steady income even further than before.
"Bakeries
have reduced production and people are forced to queue to buy bread.
Transportation throughout the Strip has been curtailed; carts pulled by
donkeys are now being used to collect solid waste," the statement
continued.
.jpg)
west bank |
israeli settlement |
news report
