Der Krieg geht weiter - die humanitäre Lage in Gaza bleibt katastrophal
Israel lässt dringend benötigte Hilfsgüter und Waren nicht hinein, Militäraktionen gehen weiter, noch mehr palästinensisches Land ist okkupiert durch eine kilometerlange sog. Bufferzone, die Menschen sind traumatisiert - und kein Ende ist abzusehen.
Die Mächtigen schauen zu, schütteln Hände, versprechen Hilfe, natürlich geknüpft an Bedingungen, die die Hilfe wieder infragestellen und reden 'sehr streng' von 2 Staatenlösung - aber tun nichts, was diese Idee real werden lassen könnte. Israel hat weiterhin freie Hand, das Zuschauen zum Gazakrieg hat es den Regierenden bewiesen - es gibt keine Sanktionen, keine Bedingungen, keinen Boykott.
Und also wird es so bleiben - es wird keine Lösungen geben, denn die Ursachen des Konflikts werden nicht beseitigt, nicht einmal als Bedingung angesprochen:
- die fortgesetzte Kolonisierung in Israel in den Städten wie Akka, Jaffa, im Dreick, in Galiläa, im Negev mit über 100.000 Menschen, die in 'nicht anerkannten' Dörfern leben, die keine Baugenehmigungen erhalten, deren Land immer wieder für staatliche Planung enteignet wird usw.. und
- in den 1967 besetzten Gebieten einschließlich Jerusalems, wo Häuser zerstört werden, weil sie keine Baugenehmigung haben, die aber auch nicht erteilt wird, die Zahl der illegalen Siedler auf fast ein halbe Million geputscht wird und schon längst 80% des Bodens 'israelisiert' sind durch militärische Sperrgebiete, Zonen B und C, illegale Regionalpläne, sogenannte Landschafts Schutzzonen usw....
Statt einer vollständigen Öffnung Gaza's, statt Rückzug aus allen Besetzten Gebieten und allen Kolonien - Statt Einfrieren aller Unterstützung bis zur Bildung zweier Staaten in gesicherten Grenzen geht die internationale Unterstützung Israels weiter mit Waffen, Geld und Warenimport und Israel profitiert noch von der Aufbauhilfe, weil es die Baufirmen und Materialien liefern wird und sowieso den Geldtransfer kontrolliert!
Wer ein Moratorium aller Wirtschafts- und Militärhilfe an Israel fordert, wer wie internationale Gruppen selbst in Israel fordert, sich einem Boykott israelischer Waren wie einst zum rassistischen Regime in Südafrika erfolgreich praktiziert, anzuschließen, um vor der Welt auszudrücken, dass das zionistische Regime und seine Kolonisierungspolitik in Palästina das Problem für Frieden und Sicherheit im Nahen Osten ist - der wird des Antisemitismus beschuldigt. Als ob Israel bis in alle Ewigkeit für nichts verantwortlich gemacht werden dürfte wegen des Holocausts, den nicht die Palästinenser verursacht und betrieben haben, sondern Deutschland in Europa. Da lehnt man sich gut zurück, denn man hat ja die Lösung gefunden: der jüdische Staat in Palästina entsorgt so wunderbar jede weitere Verantwortung, die Araber halten gut als Terroristen her - der Rassismus geht munter weiter.
Schlimmer noch: der Bürgerkrieg wird wieder vorbereitet. Ende Februar wurde am Grenzübergang nach Jordanien in der Halle in morgendlicher Frühe eine Massenversammlung junger uniformer Männer gesichtet, die von einem geheimen Auftrag sprachen, der sie über Jordanien, dann Ägypten nach Gaza bringen soll - die 'Dahlan Forces'. Es ist kein Geheinmnis, dass Dahlan, einer von Arafats ehemaligen Sicherheitschefs sein Spiel im Auftrag Israels schon seit einiger Zeit betreibt, nach dem Wahlsieg von Hamas schon einmal für Fatah und wen noch ? die Waffen gegen Palästinenser richtete um Chaos zu stiften und im Sinai seine Leute ausbilden lässt. Eine Hand wäscht die andere?
Und die Opfer? OCHA berichtet von der Katastrophe täglich, im Netze zu finden unter www.ochaopt.org/
Hier der Bericht vom 2. März 09
United Nations, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
FIELD UPDATE ON GAZA FROM THE HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR
24 February – 2 March 2009, 17.00 hours
(Auszug)
“Israeli authorities continue to limit the amount and range of goods allowed into the Gaza Strip. More than 80 percent of all goods currently allowed into Gaza are basic foods. A range of essential goods, including supplies and equipment needed for rebuilding, are not being allowed into the territory.
In the past week, 50 Early Childhood Development Kits and 57 boxes of children’s toys from UNICEF were prevented from being transported to Gaza by the Israeli authorities. According to COGAT, the Israeli civil-military liaison body, the toys were not a humanitarian priority….
The Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee reports that 18 to 20 percent of agricultural land remains inaccessible…
Zur aktuelle Situation:
Health
According to ICRC’s operational update of 26 February, certain drugs, including for cancer treatment, and certain types of X-ray films are still lacking. The stock of disposables is also dwindling. Electricity supplied to hospitals remains unreliable, as do backup generators.
Approximately 100 new amputees have been registered at the Artificial Limb and Polio Centre in Gaza City since mid-January, and 10 have started treatment, according to ICRC.
UNICEF remains concerned that the nutritional status and general health of children in Gaza is likely to deteriorate given the dependency of Gazan families on food aid and cash assistance, as well as the lack of access to clean tap water.
According to UNFPA, women in Gaza are in need of greater psychosocial support following the recent hostilities.
Water and Sanitation
Water and sanitation infrastructure remains in a hazardous state as essential materials such as pipes and spare parts continue to be prevented entry to Gaza. Thousands of people still without access to running water depend on water trucked to their homes. As of 2 March, the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU), Gaza’s water utility, reports that 50,000 people still do not have access to piped water and an additional 100,000 receive water approximately every 7-10 days, including in parts of Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, Gaza City and Rafah. This situation will not improve until the necessary materials are allowed into Gaza.
Shelter
As of 2 March, one non-school UNRWA emergency shelter remains open in Jabalia, hosting one family. As of the end of February, UNRWA’s assessment of refugee families with destroyed or damaged homes indicates that a total of 2,350 families need to have their home reconstructed, including 1,800 families whose homes were completely destroyed and 550 families whose houses were damaged beyond repair. In addition, 500 families have homes needing major repair; and 10,000 families have homes needing minor repair. These figures are likely to rise as the survey is still ongoing. UNDP cash distribution to families eligible for cash assistance has been interrupted due to the lack of available cash in Gaza. As soon as cash is available, the distribution will resume. Distribution of non-food items by various organizations is ongoing. Families staying in their damaged houses as well as affected families staying with host families continue to receive assistance. Priority needs include kitchen sets and materials for repairing/rebuilding houses.
Food Security / Agriculture
According to the ICRC operational update from 26 February, farming families make up some 27 percent of the population. Approximately 43 percent of farmland lies within the buffer zone imposed by Israel that extends up to one kilometre into Gaza. In addition to the regular military operations carried out in the buffer zone over the past 18 months, the recent hostilities dealt an additional blow to farmers as cultivated land was ruined. Many irrigation systems, water wells, warehouses and greenhouses were damaged or destroyed.
Most of the population relies on imported frozen poultry meat for animal protein owing to severe shortages of animal feed and heating gas for chickens since November. Sustaining a trend of unrestricted import and low prices is critical for revitalizing the animal production sub-sector and making animal protein more affordable for the population. The price of red meat remains unaffordable, at 65 NIS/kg compared with 60 NIS/kg in December, owing to the high loss of animals during the hostilities (6,281 cattle, sheep and goats according to a rapid needs assessment) and continued restrictions on live animal imports through commercial crossings. The so-called Buffer Zone - which would normally be used for grazing - remains inaccessible, causing herders additional hardship. Veterinary drugs and vaccines are also in short supply, which puts the animal population at risk of disease, and more importantly, poses a public health risk.
A FAO field and market survey conducted on 11 February 2009 found that many agricultural inputs are urgently needed, particularly fertilizers; seedlings; iron bars for animal shelters; plastic shelter covers; wheat for animals; warming gas, feeders and drinkers for poultry; and live animals. Moreover, materials such as cement, iron bars for water ponds and irrigation and water mainline pipes are severely needed to begin land and rural road rehabilitation/reconstruction. Without this critical first step, the resumption of the agricultural calendar will be difficult.
Fishermen and farmers continue to be affected, with one farmer injured by Israeli boats during the reporting period. Fishing is still restricted to three nautical miles from the coast, which prevents sufficient catches and limits profit. The damage inflicted on Rafah’s fishing stores during the hostilities has nearly halted fishing activities in Rafah. Fishing nets, rope, tiding twine, gas mantles and floats are in short supply.
Education
Access restrictions to Gaza continue to hinder efforts to support education services. In addition to shortage of piped water in many schools and overcrowding, children are lacking education and recreation materials. School repairs, education supplies and psychosocial support for children remain a priority in the education sector. A school based psychosocial support technical group consisting of organizations interested in psychosocial programming in schools was formed to develop a framework and plan to meet the immediate psychosocial needs.
Electricity / Fuel
According to GEDCO, Gaza’s power utility, the power deficit throughout the Gaza Strip as of 2 March remains at 19 percent. Ninety percent of the Gaza population receives intermittent electricity. The following scheduled power cuts remain in place, in addition to unscheduled power cuts: 4 hours of power cuts per day in Rafah, and 5 hours of power cuts per day in the rest of the Gaza Strip. According to GEDCO, 10 percent of the population does not receive electricity due to complete damage to the network in certain areas. These areas will not receive electricity until GEDCO receives the needed materials.
Transformers have still not been allowed into Gaza. The equipment has already been purchased but authorization from the Israeli authorities is needed to bring it into Gaza.
No petrol or diesel was allowed into Gaza during the week. Petrol and diesel were last allowed into Gaza via Nahal Oz for public use on 2 November 2008. According to the Gas Station Owners Association, no fuel has been transferred into Gaza through the tunnels under the Gaza-Egyptian border since 26 February. Most gas stations remain closed.
Private Sector
The Gaza Businessmen Association estimates damage to the industrial sector at over $250 million. The Private Sector Coordination Council’s (PSCC) preliminary damage assessment report dated 25 February highlights that more than 700 establishments claimed damage from the recent hostilities in Gaza (268 reported complete damage and 432 partial damage).
The industrial sector was the most affected, with 297 establishments damaged, causing losses of more than $84 million, followed by the trade sector (including small shops/stores), which reported preliminary damages of about $24 million. The construction materials sub-sector sustained an estimated $27 million worth of damage - with 20 ready-mix concrete factories damaged (out of 29 available factories) - causing 70% loss to the sub-sector’s potential capacity. An additional 39 construction-related establishments were damaged. Activities of the handicraft, textile, construction and paper sectors have completely halted and their establishments shut down due to severe damage and/or unavailability of raw materials.
Only 258 private sector establishments (out of more than 2,400 establishments in 2006) from the key sectors in the Gaza Strip working partially.
Priority Needs
Opening of crossings: All crossings into Gaza must be operational, and the amount and range of commodities allowed into the Gaza Strip need to be increased. The following items in Gaza are critically needed:
Spare parts • and fuel for the Power Plant, hospitals and water and sewage treatment facilities;
Construction materials• to rebuild destroyed schools, hospitals, clinics and homes.
Humanitarian access to Gaza: It is critical that full and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza be granted. International agencies continue to be denied access to Gaza.
Cash/liquidity: Although cash has entered the Gaza Strip, a constant influx is needed to reactivate the private sector and prevent increasing dependence on aid.
Hier der Bericht vom 2. März 09
United Nations, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
FIELD UPDATE ON GAZA FROM THE HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR
24 February – 2 March 2009, 17.00 hours
(Auszug)
“Israeli authorities continue to limit the amount and range of goods allowed into the Gaza Strip. More than 80 percent of all goods currently allowed into Gaza are basic foods. A range of essential goods, including supplies and equipment needed for rebuilding, are not being allowed into the territory.
In the past week, 50 Early Childhood Development Kits and 57 boxes of children’s toys from UNICEF were prevented from being transported to Gaza by the Israeli authorities. According to COGAT, the Israeli civil-military liaison body, the toys were not a humanitarian priority….
The Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committee reports that 18 to 20 percent of agricultural land remains inaccessible…
Zur aktuelle Situation:
Health
According to ICRC’s operational update of 26 February, certain drugs, including for cancer treatment, and certain types of X-ray films are still lacking. The stock of disposables is also dwindling. Electricity supplied to hospitals remains unreliable, as do backup generators.
Approximately 100 new amputees have been registered at the Artificial Limb and Polio Centre in Gaza City since mid-January, and 10 have started treatment, according to ICRC.
UNICEF remains concerned that the nutritional status and general health of children in Gaza is likely to deteriorate given the dependency of Gazan families on food aid and cash assistance, as well as the lack of access to clean tap water.
According to UNFPA, women in Gaza are in need of greater psychosocial support following the recent hostilities.
Water and Sanitation
Water and sanitation infrastructure remains in a hazardous state as essential materials such as pipes and spare parts continue to be prevented entry to Gaza. Thousands of people still without access to running water depend on water trucked to their homes. As of 2 March, the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU), Gaza’s water utility, reports that 50,000 people still do not have access to piped water and an additional 100,000 receive water approximately every 7-10 days, including in parts of Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, Gaza City and Rafah. This situation will not improve until the necessary materials are allowed into Gaza.
Shelter
As of 2 March, one non-school UNRWA emergency shelter remains open in Jabalia, hosting one family. As of the end of February, UNRWA’s assessment of refugee families with destroyed or damaged homes indicates that a total of 2,350 families need to have their home reconstructed, including 1,800 families whose homes were completely destroyed and 550 families whose houses were damaged beyond repair. In addition, 500 families have homes needing major repair; and 10,000 families have homes needing minor repair. These figures are likely to rise as the survey is still ongoing. UNDP cash distribution to families eligible for cash assistance has been interrupted due to the lack of available cash in Gaza. As soon as cash is available, the distribution will resume. Distribution of non-food items by various organizations is ongoing. Families staying in their damaged houses as well as affected families staying with host families continue to receive assistance. Priority needs include kitchen sets and materials for repairing/rebuilding houses.
Food Security / Agriculture
According to the ICRC operational update from 26 February, farming families make up some 27 percent of the population. Approximately 43 percent of farmland lies within the buffer zone imposed by Israel that extends up to one kilometre into Gaza. In addition to the regular military operations carried out in the buffer zone over the past 18 months, the recent hostilities dealt an additional blow to farmers as cultivated land was ruined. Many irrigation systems, water wells, warehouses and greenhouses were damaged or destroyed.
Most of the population relies on imported frozen poultry meat for animal protein owing to severe shortages of animal feed and heating gas for chickens since November. Sustaining a trend of unrestricted import and low prices is critical for revitalizing the animal production sub-sector and making animal protein more affordable for the population. The price of red meat remains unaffordable, at 65 NIS/kg compared with 60 NIS/kg in December, owing to the high loss of animals during the hostilities (6,281 cattle, sheep and goats according to a rapid needs assessment) and continued restrictions on live animal imports through commercial crossings. The so-called Buffer Zone - which would normally be used for grazing - remains inaccessible, causing herders additional hardship. Veterinary drugs and vaccines are also in short supply, which puts the animal population at risk of disease, and more importantly, poses a public health risk.
A FAO field and market survey conducted on 11 February 2009 found that many agricultural inputs are urgently needed, particularly fertilizers; seedlings; iron bars for animal shelters; plastic shelter covers; wheat for animals; warming gas, feeders and drinkers for poultry; and live animals. Moreover, materials such as cement, iron bars for water ponds and irrigation and water mainline pipes are severely needed to begin land and rural road rehabilitation/reconstruction. Without this critical first step, the resumption of the agricultural calendar will be difficult.
Fishermen and farmers continue to be affected, with one farmer injured by Israeli boats during the reporting period. Fishing is still restricted to three nautical miles from the coast, which prevents sufficient catches and limits profit. The damage inflicted on Rafah’s fishing stores during the hostilities has nearly halted fishing activities in Rafah. Fishing nets, rope, tiding twine, gas mantles and floats are in short supply.
Education
Access restrictions to Gaza continue to hinder efforts to support education services. In addition to shortage of piped water in many schools and overcrowding, children are lacking education and recreation materials. School repairs, education supplies and psychosocial support for children remain a priority in the education sector. A school based psychosocial support technical group consisting of organizations interested in psychosocial programming in schools was formed to develop a framework and plan to meet the immediate psychosocial needs.
Electricity / Fuel
According to GEDCO, Gaza’s power utility, the power deficit throughout the Gaza Strip as of 2 March remains at 19 percent. Ninety percent of the Gaza population receives intermittent electricity. The following scheduled power cuts remain in place, in addition to unscheduled power cuts: 4 hours of power cuts per day in Rafah, and 5 hours of power cuts per day in the rest of the Gaza Strip. According to GEDCO, 10 percent of the population does not receive electricity due to complete damage to the network in certain areas. These areas will not receive electricity until GEDCO receives the needed materials.
Transformers have still not been allowed into Gaza. The equipment has already been purchased but authorization from the Israeli authorities is needed to bring it into Gaza.
No petrol or diesel was allowed into Gaza during the week. Petrol and diesel were last allowed into Gaza via Nahal Oz for public use on 2 November 2008. According to the Gas Station Owners Association, no fuel has been transferred into Gaza through the tunnels under the Gaza-Egyptian border since 26 February. Most gas stations remain closed.
Private Sector
The Gaza Businessmen Association estimates damage to the industrial sector at over $250 million. The Private Sector Coordination Council’s (PSCC) preliminary damage assessment report dated 25 February highlights that more than 700 establishments claimed damage from the recent hostilities in Gaza (268 reported complete damage and 432 partial damage).
The industrial sector was the most affected, with 297 establishments damaged, causing losses of more than $84 million, followed by the trade sector (including small shops/stores), which reported preliminary damages of about $24 million. The construction materials sub-sector sustained an estimated $27 million worth of damage - with 20 ready-mix concrete factories damaged (out of 29 available factories) - causing 70% loss to the sub-sector’s potential capacity. An additional 39 construction-related establishments were damaged. Activities of the handicraft, textile, construction and paper sectors have completely halted and their establishments shut down due to severe damage and/or unavailability of raw materials.
Only 258 private sector establishments (out of more than 2,400 establishments in 2006) from the key sectors in the Gaza Strip working partially.
Priority Needs
Opening of crossings: All crossings into Gaza must be operational, and the amount and range of commodities allowed into the Gaza Strip need to be increased. The following items in Gaza are critically needed:
Spare parts • and fuel for the Power Plant, hospitals and water and sewage treatment facilities;
Construction materials• to rebuild destroyed schools, hospitals, clinics and homes.
Humanitarian access to Gaza: It is critical that full and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza be granted. International agencies continue to be denied access to Gaza.
Cash/liquidity: Although cash has entered the Gaza Strip, a constant influx is needed to reactivate the private sector and prevent increasing dependence on aid.
