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| Middle East |
| Malnutrition in Gaza 'as Bad as Zimbabwe' Says Clare Short |
| 2003-02-03 |
| The disturbing report, Losing ground: Israel, poverty and the Palestinians, examines in detail how Israels occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has been the primary cause of the destruction of the Palestinian economy. It calls for full Israeli withdrawal from the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and for international monitors to oversee the process. A magnificent piece of muddled reasoning... International Development Secretary Ms Short told a packed meeting in the House of Lords that if there was no speedy action the possibility of a viable Palestinian state would be eroded. "Most people in the world have agreed that the answer is two states side by side, two states that both people can feel safe in and gain security. There would need to be lots of international intervention to make people feel safe. But if we dont move quickly, the possibility of a Palestinian state is being eroded by growing settlements and then we have no solution." Raving lunatics exploding in all directions aren't part of the argument, of course... President Bush has said he believes in two states, Colin Powell has said he believes in two states, Prime Minister Sharon has said he believes in two states. If we dont make progress on that, two states will be eroded and then we dont have any political solution around which to mobilise. Then the danger of the crisis becomes enormous. God forbid we don't have a political solution around which to mobilize! William Bell, co-author of the report and Christian Aids Policy Officer for Palestinians and Israel said: The Palestinians are currently living in a state of extreme, worsening poverty and fear for their future. Almost three quarters of Palestinians now live on less than US$2 a day - below the United Nations poverty line. The report details how, in the ten years of the Oslo peace process, living standards have worsened for almost all Palestinians living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Last year, due to Israeli closures of these regions, Palestinian earnings from agriculture fell by 70 per cent, as farmers were unable to market their produce, for instance. That would seem to be a clear indicator that the Oslo "peace processor" isn't good for the Paleostinians, wouldn't it? Doctors report clear growth in important indicators of poverty - including child malnutrition, anaemia in pregnant women and a sharp increase in numbers of underweight babies. Stress-related conditions such as heart disease and hypertension have also increased. Since the beginning of the second intifada, in September 2000, new cases at mental health clinics have grown by 100 per cent - alarmingly, most of these cases are children. Could that have something to do with the very fact of the Second Intifadah? Ms Short said that according to UNICEF figures, children in the Gaza were now as malnourished as children in the Congo and Zimbabwe. You have to admire the way they totally dismiss any relation between cause and effect here. The Oslo peace processor isn't good for Paleostinians, the Second Intifadeh increases the incidence of mental breakdown by one hundred percent, and not a word about the boomers, gunnies, snuffies, and Criminal Masterminds™ who're conducting warfare against Israel. The poor, put-upon Paleos can't "bring their goods to market" because they're shut out of Israel — there don't seem to be any markets within Paleostine. Why did the mean old Zionists lock them out? Could it possibly be because of their habit of exploding or shooting women and children to shreds? If I drive a nail through my own forehead, sure, I can complain about having a headache. But it's my own damned fault, isn't it? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |
| #4 Ariel Sharon will wait til the Iraq thang is in control, and do the final smackdown of the Paleos....wouldn't be surprised to see Hezbollah bring some wrath of God back upon themselves with foolishly timed/poorly thoughtout attacks from Lebanon either...Syria asking for some of this as well? Could be a house cleaning of dramatic proportions |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-02-03 15:46:41 |
| #3 Fred --- your present reading on the sympathy meter, please? My Tricoder records no neural activity between the emotional and rational areas of the cerebral cortex. It is obvious that we have some kind of alien life form addressing the House of Lords. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-02-03 15:00:12 |
| #2 Ah,yes. The Palestinians. Professional victims not responsible for any of this. It's those damn Jews. I have no sympathy for these people. None. Any I had went out the window about a year and a half ago. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-02-03 13:53:48 |
| #1 Perhaps Yassar could be pursuaded to spend a bit of the billion or so dollars he's Er, and how can starvation be on the increase if the farmers can't sell their produce? Seems to me that it'd just be lying around for the taking at that point. |
| Posted by: Chuck 2003-02-03 13:14:02 |