Escalation of the crisis at the expense of the Palestinian civilian population in the indifference of the international community

19/04/2006
Press release

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and its member organisations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and Al-Haq, express their deepest concern regarding the decision of the international community to cut aid to the newly-elected Palestinian Government.

FIDH, PCHR and Al-Haq consider the decision by the European Union and the United States to suspend direct assistance to the newly-elected Palestinian government to be very dangerous. The international community - in particular the European Union and the United Nations as part of the Quartet - cannot ignore the democratic expression of the Palestinian population through free and fair elections by freezing their financial aid to a Hamas-led Government. In light of the critical situation in the OPT, this could lead to a serious humanitarian crisis, and would primarily damage the civilian population, as has been pointed out by several UN officials. It has also been widely recognised that the continuation of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population will prove insufficient for the population’s needs if aid is cut to the Palestinian National Authority.

In addition, the prolonged closure of crossings - in particular the Karni crossing - between Israel and the OPT has impeded humanitarian aid, such as supplies from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), from reaching the population. This has resulted in serious shortages of food and other basic supplies, such as drugs and other medical supplies. If unchecked, this situation is likely to lead to a humanitarian crisis. As noted by UNRWA on 11 April,

...if Karni remains closed, we are, once again, counting down to a food crisis....the clock is now ticking and distribution will have to be shut down entirely for the second time in less than a month if the crossing does not open immediately.

FIDH and its member organizations therefore urge the international community to reconsider their position with regard to funding, and restore direct assistance to the Palestinian National Authority.

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