UNRWA shelters Gaza families displaced by Israeli offensive

[Englander]

UN school shelters 600 Gaza families displaced by Israeli offensive

20 December 2004 – Following a two-day offensive by Israeli forces into the Khan Younis refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, the main United Nations agency helping Palestinian refugees has opened one of its schools to provide temporary accommodation to 600 families displaced by the fighting.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) immediately served the families hot meals and water in addition to providing mattresses, blankets and mats.

Meanwhile as Christmas approaches in Bethlehem, two UN bodies have published a report on the devastating impact that Israeli policies have had on the little hilltop town, where according to the New Testament, Jesus Christ was born 2,000 years ago.

Once a bustling cultural and spiritual centre hosting tourists and pilgrims from around the world, Bethlehem has become an isolated town, with boarded up shops and abandoned development projects, according to the report - "Costs of Conflict: The Changing Face of Bethlehem" - released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN Office of the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO)

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=12872&Cr=palestin&Cr1=

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Costs of conflict: The changing face of Bethlehem
Report, OCHA, 20 December 2004

The glory of Bethlehem, a city of historical and religious importance for those of the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths alike is vanishing. Surrounded by Israel’s Barrier on two sides and restricted roads and roadblocks on the other, urban Bethlehem has become isolated from the rest of the West Bank and most importantly, from Jerusalem.

The spiritual, cultural and economic lifeline of Bethlehem has traditionally been tied to Jerusalem, located just a few kilometres away, allowing residents of both cities to freely visit their holy sites. Today, this centuries-old link is being undermined. A number of Israeli settlements have been built around Bethlehem. Additionally, movement restrictions for Palestinians have been tightened due to the security situation with the aim of protecting Israeli civilians from suicide attacks and other violence.

Bethlehem’s self-sufficiency has also diminished with the loss of tourists and pilgrims due to the conflict and to movement restrictions. Before the intifada the people of Bethlehem had a much lower rate of dependency on Israel for work than most other urban centres in the West Bank as they were able to rely on tourism. Today with the tourism sector decimated, most residents can barely make a living.

From 1967 until 1995, Bethlehem was occupied by Israeli forces. Following the Oslo agreements, the Israeli army withdrew from Bethlehem’s urban centre and the Palestinian Authority took control. With the outbreak of the second intifada, the Israeli army reoccupied the city and blocked the roads leading in and out of the district. In 2002, Bethlehem was placed under 24 hour curfew for 156 days

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3455.shtml

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