UN AGENCIES AND NGOS PROTEST GAZA CLOSURE

UN AGENCIES AND NGOS PROTEST GAZA CLOSURE

(Reissued as received.)

Following is the text of a statement issued yesterday by United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations:

GAZA, 18 May (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) –- “On 11 May, the Israeli authorities closed the Erez crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip in both directions for internationals, except for holders of diplomatic visas or passports.  The closure affects virtually all international staff of United Nations organizations, non-governmental organizations and other humanitarian and development agencies.  This move follows four weeks of increasingly severe restrictions that have seriously disrupted aid workers’ freedom of movement and the distribution of humanitarian relief to

1.2 million Palestinians.  On 17 May 2003, the Israeli authorities partially lifted the closure with respect to certain named staff of a few United Nations organizations, but not for all international staff of these organizations who need to cross Erez.  The closure was also lifted for certain named staff of one humanitarian non-governmental organization.

“The undersigned United Nations and other international and non-governmental organizations protest in the strongest terms Israel’s imposition of this unprecedented measure, which is in direct contravention of international law. 

“We fully respect Israel’s security concerns.  But we firmly reject the clear implication of the measures imposed at the Erez crossing for the last month that United Nations officials and international aid workers constitute a security threat to the State of Israel or its citizens.  We call on the Israeli authorities to reopen the Erez crossing immediately, on a 24 hour-a-day basis, for all international staff members of all United Nations organizations and of all other international humanitarian and development agencies operating in the Gaza Strip.  We seek a prompt return to procedures that will allow United Nations international staff members and other humanitarian aid and development workers to exit and enter Gaza freely, with minimal delays.

“The closure of Erez has made the operations of all United Nations Agencies, non-governmental organizations and other humanitarian and development agencies unreasonably difficult, inefficient and costly.  If these new restrictions persist, a number of international and non-governmental humanitarian organizations

may be forced to stop their operations in the Gaza Strip.  Médecins du Monde and UNAIS have already announced that, because of the blockade at Erez, they have had to suspend operations in Gaza. 

“It is not clear to us why the Government of Israel has imposed these unprecedented restrictions.  The restrictions are violations of applicable international law and, in many cases, bilateral agreements between the Government of Israel and the agencies concerned.  They also go against the undertakings on humanitarian access given by the Government of Israel in August last year to the United Nations Secretary-General’s Personal Humanitarian Envoy, Ms. Catherine Bertini. 

“We have not received any official explanation of the need for these restrictions nor any indication of how long they will be kept in force.  We are further disturbed that these restrictions come at a time when the Government of Israel is promising publicly to ease the plight of the population in the occupied Palestinian territory and to support humanitarian relief efforts.

“If the Government of Israel is serious about wishing to support our humanitarian efforts, these restrictions should be lifted immediately.”

Signatories:

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)

World Food Programme (WFP)

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)

World Health Organisation (WHO)

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

Médecins sans Frontières

Médecins du Monde

Pharmaciens sans Frontières –- Comité International

OXFAM GB

Care International

MERLIN

Enfants Refugiés du Monde

Solidaridad Internacional

CRIC (Centro Regionale d'Intervento per la Cooperazione) 

Movement for Peace, Disarmament and Liberty

UNA International Service (UK)

World Vision

For more information, contact:  Paul McCann at UNRWA HQ Gaza on

(972) 8 677 7526.

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