LIFTING CLOSURE ON GAZA ONLY SOLUTION, SAYS ICRC

KUALA LUMPUR, June 16 (Bernama) -- Providing humanitarian aid cannot address
the hardship faced by Gaza's 1.5 million people.

Rather, the only sustainable solution is to lift the closure imposed on the
Gaza Strip, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said Tuesady.

As the closure was about to enter its fourth year, choking off any real
possibility of economic development, the organisation said Gazans continued to
suffer from unemployment, poverty and warfare.

Gaza's health care system, meanwhile, reached an all-time low, it noted.

Its entire civilian population was punished for acts for which it bore no
responsibility, and the closure therefore, constituted a collective punishment
imposed, in clear violation of Israel's obligations under international
humanitarian law, the ICRC said in a statement datelined Geneva/Jerusalem, which
was made available here.

ICRC head of operations for the Middle East, Beatrice Magevand-Roggo, said
the
closure had a devastating impact on the people of Gaza.

"That is why, we are urging Israel to put an end to this closure and call
upon all those who have an influence on the situation, including Hamas, to do
their utmost to help Gaza's civilian population.

“Israel's right to deal with its legitimate security concerns must be
balanced against the Palestinians' right to live normal, dignified lives, " she
stressed.

The ICRC, which has a regional delegation office here, said the
international
community had to play its part to ensure repeated appeals by
States and international organisations to lift the closure, are finally heeded.

Under international humanitarian law, Israel must ensure that the basic
needs of Gazans, including adequate health care, are met while the Palestinian
authorities, for their part, must do everything within their power to provide
proper health care, supply electricity and maintain infrastructure for Gaza's
people, it stressed.

The Gaza strip has been under siege by Israel since June 2007 when Hamas
took over power of the strip.

According to the ICRC, all States have an obligation to allow and facilitate
rapid and unimpeded passage of all relief consignments, equipment and personnel.

It pointed out that Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was about to enter his
fifth year in captivity and that Hamas had continued to rebuff the ICRC's
requests to let it visit Shalit. In violation of international humanitarian law,
it also refused to allow him to get in touch with his family.

On the situation in Gaza -- which was again put on the spotlight when
serious incidents occured on May 31 between Israeli forces and activists on an
aid flotilla heading for Gaza -- the ICRC said, although about 80 types of goods
were now allowed into Gaza, twice as much as a year ago, prior to the closure,
over 4,000 items could be brought in.

Gaza's fishermen have also been greatly affected by successive reductions
imposed by Israel on the size of the fishing grounds they were allowed to
exploit, the latest restriction to three nautical miles has cut down both the
quantity and quality of the catch.

The ICRC said Gaza was also suffering from an acute electricity crisis with
power supply in Gaza interrupted for seven hours daily, on average.

Hospitals rely on generators to cope with the daily blackouts and the power
cuts pose a serious risk to the treatment of patients. Stocks of essential
medical supplies have reached an all-time low because of a standstill in
cooperation between Palestinian authorities in Ramallah and Gaza.

Eileen Daly, the ICRC's health coordinator in the territory, says: "Health
is being politicised...that is the main reason the system is failing. Unless
something changes, things are only going to get worse."

-- BERNAMA




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