Region | Palestinian Territories
Palestine situation is 'getting worse'
The humanitarian situation in the West Bank and Gaza is "serious and getting worse", said a top UN official in Palestine.
- By Zoi Constantine, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:33 May 3, 2009
Dubai: The humanitarian situation in the West Bank and Gaza is "serious and getting worse", said a top UN official in Palestine.
David Shearer, head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told Gulf News that major issues included ongoing restrictions on the access of goods, including medicine and food, particularly in Gaza.
The continued non-payment of over 150,000 Palestinian National Authority employees, half of whom are armed security personnel, as well as the steady decline in the provision of basic services such as healthcare and education, were also identified as major concerns.
"To keep our operations running we have to maintain contact with the government. The UN is not in a position to take over the work of the government, and humanitarian assistance can only provide temporary support, but is not a lasting solution," he said. Humanitarian organisations said the shift to international organisations taking on the work of the Palestinian government was "unrealistic".
"For the last month the situation has deteriorated further. In addition to further Israeli attacks, certain governments have suspended aid.
"We have to remain impartial in this situation and do our best to address the needs of the people," said M?decins Sans Fronti?res UAE Executive Director Frederic Vigneau.
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Speaking in Dubai recently, the UN Development Programme's Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People spokesperson, Ehab Shanti, said it was essential at this critical juncture for "the world to not abandon the Palestinians".
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