The statement was an unusual departure from its normally non-political stance.
The ICRC said the measures imposed by Israel had denied the Palestinian population the right to live a normal and dignified life.
The organisation says humanitarian assistance cannot possibly be the solution in Gaza and the West Bank.
The statement comes just days before a major donor conference in Paris.
| | Why do we call for political action? Because actually we do not think that humanitarian aid can solve the problem Beatrice Megevand Roggo ICRC |
BBC Geneva correspondent Imogen Foulkes says politics is not usually a word which features in the language of the international Red Cross: the famously neutral organisation tends to work quietly in conflict zones, and when it does speak, it speaks of numbers of injured treated, or numbers of detainees visited.
But the ICRC now says that life in the West bank and Gaza Strip has become so dreadful that no amount of humanitarian aid can really help.
'Situation perpetuated'
"Why do we call for political action? Because actually we do not think that humanitarian aid can solve the problem," said Beatrice Megevand Roggo, ICRC director of operations for the Middle East.
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"In Gaza the whole Strip is being strangled, economically speaking, life there has become a nightmare. And for that there is no solution that can be provided by humanitarian organisations.
"We can try to put patches on problems, but we do not have the key to a lasting solution that would address the roots of the problem."
In fact the Red Cross and other UN aid agencies are pouring money into Gaza; senior aid officials, our correspondent says, privately fear they may be perpetuating a situation which really should not continue.
'Dignity denied'
Together with its statement calling for political action, the Red Cross has issued a report called Dignity Denied which paints a harrowing picture of life for the Palestinians - suffering an economic blockade which denies them jobs, medical care, and even food.
"The 1.4 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip continue to pay for conflict and economic containment with their health and livelihoods," the report says.
"In the West Bank, the establishment of Israeli settlements affects every aspect of Palestinians' lives and leads to the loss of much land and income, together with recurrent violence by settlers. Exhausting movement restrictions hinder access to work and have led to unprecedented levels of unemployment and poverty.
"Only prompt, innovative and courageous political action can change the harsh reality of this long-standing occupation, restore normal social and economic life to the Palestinian people, and allow them to live their lives in dignity."
The ICRC says it recognises Israel's right to take measures to defend itself.
"[But this] needs to be balanced against the Palestinians' right to live a normal and dignified life," said Ms Roggo.
Also on Thursday, the World Bank said increased aid and Palestinian government reforms will have no real effect unless Israel eases restrictions on travel and trade.
At the donors conference on Monday in Paris, governments are being asked to provide the Palestinians with US $5.6bn over the next three years.
8 comments:
So very sad. This situation needs to be a top priority in world affairs. The continuing shaft the Palestinian people are getting is disgusting. The world community should be ashamed.
The shame would probably come more readily if the palestinians didn't make it a habit to circulate cartoon fliers among their children in school yards encouraging them to become martyrs for Allah.
Israel remains aggressive and draconian in their measures because diplomacy doesn't work. They can't deal with a single palestinian authority, because the PA doesn't *have* any of the A. All of the palestinian militant movements are decentralized and independent. So unless every single Islamic Jihaad Lions Brigade for Allah's Revenge on the Zionists group decides they ALL want to stop firing rockets across the border, trying to negotiate a meaningful peace with the palestinians is like nailing Jello to a tree.
It's easy for us to cast down condemnation from on high when it isn't our families being blown up on buses, in restaurants, night clubs, or being shot while crossing the street.
... but that said, I do want to make sure it's understood that I do agree with the Red Cross that more needs to be done to assist the innocent. It is horrible that so many are suffering because of the current political situation, and world leaders need to be doing more to make sure that this humanitarian crisis is addressed.
The pressure should be applied in two parts: Firstly, on Israel, to take more steps to ensure that innocent people are suffering as the result of this blockaid.
Secondly, pressure should be applied to Hamas to relinquish its grip on the territory. How one does that, however, I just don't know. :|
First, saying that "Palestinians" distribute fliers encouraging children to become martyrs assigns collective responsibility to the actions of a few people. Most Americans would take issue with an assertion that "Americans" are deliberately killing Iraqi women and children when most American service personnel are upright, moral individuals that attempt to respect the rights of Iraqis and those responsible for atrocities represent a very small percentage of the total population. The same is true in this case--a small number of Palestinians are committing the violence and large segments of the population are paying the price.
Relatedly, attitudes that assign collective blame are the same that result in policies of collective punishment, which again are both immoral and illegal. Additionally, the surest way to create a terrorist is to target (either intentionally or accidentally) innocent people.
And while it may be easier for us to condemn when "our families" aren't the ones being "blown up on buses...etc.", it is also important to remember that most of the casualties inflicted in the past several years have been inflicted on Palestinians. The number of Israelis who have lost family members to Palestinian violence pales in comparison to the number of Palestinians who have lost family to Israeli security operations as well as malnutrition and lack of health care related to the current siege and preventable deaths resulting from delays at Israeli checkpoints.
Blaming Hamas (or the PLO at earlier points) for the continuation of the political violence and for current Israeli policies is only a partial explanation, and one that allows Israel off the hook way too easy. Plus, there is never going to be peace if the expectation is that all Palestinian violence stops--wars never end that way unless one side is completely subjugated or destroyed. Negotiated settlements are based on positive gains and restraint. So, the best course of action would be to provide Palestinians positive incentives for any movement toward reducing violence. But that doesn't happen. It seems more that Israel demands unreachable goals and then hammers the Palestinians, guilty and innocent alike, whenever one group initiates violence.
I stand by my original statement. I do not totally agree or disagree with either of you. I just know the situation in Israel is horrible for the Palestinians and I do not know what needs to be done to help them. The whole thing is complex and rooted in deep animosity on both sides. Power, land and religion... ugh.
Having said that, we should probably engage in a dialog about the role of religion in Mid-East politics though, that would be fun. I know Reed and I have differing views on that and I would love to hear Beck weigh in. Perhaps I will post something to start a discussion soon.
Good to see you back too Beck, woohoo!
Good to be back. :) Been gone waaay too long.
Reed: "So, the best course of action would be to provide Palestinians positive incentives for any movement toward reducing violence. But that doesn't happen."
Sure it does. Numerous, numerous attempts have been made to provide these incentives. But the quintessential nature of the problem is as I've stated it: These offers are made and agreed upon as if we are dealing with a unified, sovereign nation state, when that couldn't be further from the truth. The Palestinian political landscape is fractured into dozens and dozens of little political parties and/or militias that are satellites of Hamas, Fatah, Islamic Jihad, etc. Some are strongly associated with them, others loosely. The Palestinian Authority cannot speak with a single, authoratative voice, and the results are agreements that simply cannot be maintained because nobody in the PA can herd all of the cats in any one direction.
The only way any lasting peace will exist there will be the disarming of these innumerable militias. (if 5 guys in masks standing around a video camera with AKs can really be considered a militia). And that responsibility must fall on the PA. (and, let's be honest, Fatah)
And Hamas can suck it.
That the political scene in Palestine is fractured is a significant problem and does hinder negotiations. But every civil conflict has spoilers that attempt to derail the peace process--the IRA splintered into several groups as the peace process evolved. One of the reasons that the "Real IRA" the "Provisional IRA" and other groups were never able to trash the whole thing was that Britain did not engage in collective punishment when a fringe group blew something up or killed security personnel. Instead, they worked explicitly with Sein Fein and even made efforts to strengthen them as a political organization. The point is, if Israel wants a more unified authority to deal with they (as well as the US and EU) need to give MUCH greater assistance to the Abu Mazen government.
Second, you seem to assume that Israel is bending over backward to be a fair negotiating partner and making all kinds of concessions. That is simply not true: the wall, refusing to discuss control over East Jerusalem, the expansion of settlements, still holding hundreds of Palestinians without trial or access to lawyers under anti-terror legislation....They withdrew from Gaza, yes, and that was a big step. But how many times have tanks rolled back in? It was hardly a true concession to remove the few settlements there and back the tanks up 100 yards from the border. The point being, regardless the political fissures in the PA, Israel has done precious little to show its willingness to concede. What's more, their bullheaded attitude would seem to encourage violence. The only concessions they make seem to come only after sustained violence, which would make it seem like Palestinian tactics are working. It is perverse and twisted, but when there are periods of relative peace little movement seems to occur.
I am not supporting Hamas; I am not supporting Fatah. Terrorism is evil and counterproductive no matter who commits it. But this is who Israel has to deal with, and 50 years of beating down the PLO and other secular (yes, the PLO was a-religious at its conception and more closely linked with the USSR than fundamentalist Islam) nationalist movements is exactly what provided radical Islamist groups like Hamas and Islamic Jyhad the opportunity and support necessary to grow and thrive. Israel has long maintained a strategy of undermining any type of government in the Occupied Territories and this is the result--a fractured political landscape and even more people willing to blow up a nightclub in Tel Aviv. Nice work.
"Second, you seem to assume that Israel is bending over backward to be a fair negotiating partner and making all kinds of concessions."
I never made that assertion, not once. Nor even intimated. You seem to assume that I think Israel is squeeky clean because I don't have the same level of vitriol for them as I do Hamas and the other Palestinian militant groups.
I've said before that Israel is lying in a bed of its own making, to be sure. It has been excessively heavy handed in its dealing with the PLO, Arafat, and now the PA. I think Sharon did more damage to Israel's prospects of peace than Hamas or Hezbollah did.
But I will concede that I do sympathize with Israel's overall intent to some degree as the "lesser of two evils". Even if that distinction is by only a fraction of an evil point. ;) And by that, I mean I see "survival at any cost" as slightly less evil than "destroy them at any cost".
But,as I'm sure you'd agree, not by much. :|
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