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Latest update: 14/06/2011
- Gaza Strip - Israel - Israeli-Palestinian conflict - unemployment
Four years into blockade, nearly half of Gaza jobless
Gaza’s unemployment rate has reached 45 percent, one of the highest in the world, as the Israeli blockade of the densely populated territory enters its fifth year, a UN relief agency has reported.
By News Wires (text)
REUTERS - The Gaza Strip enters its fifth year of a full Israeli blockade by land, air and sea on Tuesday with unemployment at 45.2 percent, one of the highest rates in the world, a U.N. aid agency report said.
The U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) found that by the second half of 2010, real wages had fallen 34.5 percent since the first half of 2006, when sanctions were imposed by Israel after Hamas, an Islamist group that now rules the Gaza Strip, won a Palestinian legislative election.
The UN says the full-on blockade began a year later.
"These are disturbing trends," said UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness, "and the refugees, who make up two-thirds of Gaza's 1.5 million population, were the worst hit."
Densely populated Gaza has a population of more than 1.5 million, mostly spread along the 40 km (25 mile) coast of the Mediterranean enclave between Israel and Egypt.
"It is hard to understand the logic of a man-made policy which deliberately impoverishes so many and condemns hundreds of thousands of potentially productive people to a life of destitution," Gunness said.
Israel continues to blockade Gaza, controlling the flow of imports and tightly restricting access to Israeli territory mainly to urgent humanitarian cases, to prevent Hamas militants who are supported by Iran and Syria from obtaining weapons, explosives and ammunition.
It partly relaxed its grip a year ago in response to international pressure, allowing in more trade goods and expanding the secure logistics hub at Kerem Shalom crossing to a potential 400 truckloads of goods per day.
UNRWA provides food staples and schools for Gaza's refugee population. The enclave has no airport or seaport for freight.
The U.N. has recently asked countries to dissuade those pro-Palestinian groups with plans to break the blockade by sea in so-called "international humanitarian aid" flotillas that Israel says are simply politically motivated provocations.
Gaza's pressure cooker atmosphere has been relieved since the fall of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak this year and a change in policy by Cairo, a party to the blockade with Israel, which now opens the southern border crossing at Rafah daily for civilian traffic, though not for trade.
But UNRWA reports that Gaza's working-age population (those over 15) is estimated to have grown by 2 percent in the second half of 2010 from the first half, increasing the demand for jobs that do not exist in its broken economy.
Captive Shalit
This month marks another anniversary for Gaza: Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was seized by Hamas in a cross-border raid into Israel near Kerem Shalom on June 25, 2006.
He has been held at an unknown location for five years, despite intermittent negotiations in secret to swap him for hundreds of Palestinians serving sentences in Israeli prisons.
The release of Shalit, who will be 25 later this year, has become a political cause celebre in Israel. The permanent vigil kept by family and supporters near the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a frequent stop for visiting foreign dignitaries.
The elusive deal to free Shalit has stumbled on Israel's reported refusal to release certain Palestinians -- those imprisoned for involvement in lethal attacks on Israeli civilians.
While freedom for Shalit would probably ease tensions between Israel and Hamas somewhat, it would have little effect on the unchanged rationale for Israel's blockade.
The Islamist group Hamas refuses to recognise the Jewish state or renounce violence and is shunned in the West as a terror organisation. Netanyahu has said no country could be expected to negotiate peace with Hamas under such conditions.
The full UNRWA report on Gaza employment conditions can be read at http://www.unrwa.org/userfiles/201106083557.pdf
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gaza Blockade
Take Israel to the UN for humanitarian crimes.
comments on the article
The article doesn't mention that for years the hamas has launched thousands of bombs on civilian population after Israel has evacuated all settlements! Who could be expected to help those who want to destroy him? What responsibility does Israel have for what happens in Gaza? If Hamas didn't spemd all the money it gets on buying weapons to fight and bomb Israel, they would have enough money to solve their problems! In much the same way as they smuggle arms in the tunnels, they could smuggle other positive goods as well! The world should NOT have double standards when it only deals with Israel!!
You mean sub human treatment?
I thought there were many opportunities for employment in tunnel building and rocket assembly?
Arab states
The Arabs already have several states. If they wanted "Palestine" to be an separate Arab state, they should have done it before Israel when it was a part of Jordan. Why did that not occur? Because no Palestinian national identity existed at that time and sense forth a Palestinian identity has only been created in an attempt to delegitimize the state of Israel, a state in which Arabs have equal rights, access to the courts, and positions of leadership such as positions as judges. Israel is the only state in the region where homosexuals, visible ethnic minorities and religious tolerance is a part of the law. An Arab state comprised of solely Palestine has NEVER existed. Jewish Israel, however, has had a significant historical presence. Further, Jews have lived in the region for centuries. How can a people "occupiers" when they have lived on the same land for generations? The toll on the people in Palestine is horrible, but the solution to the problem is for Palestinians to reject the use of violence and the violent ideologies of Hamas, for Arabs to promise to never attack Israel again and for Arab states to recognize Israel as a legitimate state. Until that happens, Israel will continue to prevent weapons from being hurled at her children through a sensible blockade that keeps out weapons and lets in food and humanitarian aid.
Like today! "Regev" was
Like today!
"Regev" was allowed a few minutes to denounce a UN report that said beCAUSE of the blockade (which was Israels doing) 80% of Palestinians were living on UN aid and conditions were horrible (as usual). Where was the Palestinian counterargument?!?! nothing!
Why is the Israel/Palestine
Why is the Israel/Palestine issue so unbalanced on this channel. France 24 is brilliant in all the ways it shows the news except in this issue! You allow one sided advocates for Israel, but never, or RARELY have i seen anyone hold a one sided argument for Palestine!
Gaza
If you have hundreds of thousands of young people, idle and unemployed, you create resentment and a rod for your own back. Are you listening ISRAEL? I think that the Arab Spring is coming your way, and you wont be able to stop it. Unless you deal with it in the same way as SYRIA is doing!
inhuman tretment
45% out of work is that any wonder when for 65 years they have been treated like cattle and controlled by those who always moan about their lot and tell us of their right to exist while all the time punishing a race of people who they have no regard for.