Washington, Jan 22: The United Nations has slammed
Israel for developments in the Gaza stressing that while the
Palestinian rocket attacks are unjustifiable, the response by
the Jewish state "cannot be a retaliation".
The violence in the Mid-East region escalated recently
with Israel deciding to close all crossings into Gaza,
preventing the delivery of vital humanitarian supplies as well
as fuel to the Gaza Power Station, following a rising number
of rocket and sniper attacks from across the border.
"The firing of rockets (by Palestinians) is wholly and
totally unacceptable. The response to that cannot be a
retaliation, collectively punishing a civilian population on
this side of the crossing, which is also trapped and a victim
to the conflict," said John Ging, the Director of the Gaza
operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency
(UNRWA).
"But again, the power plant has gone down on Sunday
night. No electricity. It's the mothers of Gaza who are
suffering, not the militants, in the dark," Ging said on CNN
International.
"This is the challenge. There's no single sound bite or
two cent solution to this conflict. It's a very provocative,
destructive cycle of violence that has inflicted such misery
on both populations for so long. It's very, very difficult to
break out of that," he said.
"However, there is always an opening. And the Annapolis
prospect has created a political dynamic which gives hope.
It's going to be very tough.
"So we have to start with each action. And that's what
we're asking for at the UN. The civilians on both sides
deserve international humanitarian legal protection. We know
what needs to be done. And the people here also know. And they
ask for help and support," Ging said.
Meanwhile, the UNRWA said that it may not be able to
continue food distribution and other key operations in Gaza if
Israel continue its blockade that cut off fuel to the
territory's only power plant.
"The UNRWA is about to run out of its own fuel supplies
in two more days. Although the agency has sufficient food
stocks in Gaza, it will not be able to continue its support to
860,000 Gaza residents past Wednesday if it lacks fuel to
transport food or the nylon bags for food distribution,"
Karen Abuzayd, the agency's commissioner-general, said.
"It’s very cold here. There’s no fuel, no water, little
electricity," Abuzayd said.
The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon had said in a
statement over the weekend appealing urgently for an immediate
end to the violence engulfing Gaza and affecting communities
in southern Israel and reminded the parties once more of their
obligation to comply with international humanitarian law and
and not to endanger civilians.
"He warned that the decision by Israel to close the
crossing points between Gaza and Israel, used for the delivery
of humanitarian assistance, cuts off the population from
much-needed fuel supplies used to pump water and generate
electricity to homes and hospitals.
The Secretary-General called on Israel to refrain from
actions that will harm the well-being of the general civilian
population in Gaza," the spokesperson said.
In Geneva, the Human Rights Council will hold a special
session tomorrow to consider and take action on "human rights
violations emanating from Israeli military incursions in the
occupied Palestinian territory" including in Gaza and the West
Bank town of Nablus.
Bureau Report