Subscribe to Print Edition | Wed., February 27, 2008 Adar1 21, 5768 | | Israel Time: 12:27 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

A Palestinian holding a UN food aid packet in Gaza. (AP) Last update - 03:00 27/09/2006 UN human rights envoy says Gaza a prison for Palestinians By Reuters Israel has turned the Gaza Strip into a prison for Palestinians where life is "intolerable, appalling, tragic" and appears to have thrown away the key, a United Nations human rights envoy said on Tuesday. Special rapporteur on human rights in the Palestinian territory John Dugard said that the suffering of the Palestinians was a test of the readiness of the international community to protect human rights. In response, Itzhak Levanon, Israel's ambassador to the UN in Geneva, rejected Dugard's allegations as "one-sided" and not reflecting reality. Advertisement "If ... the international community cannot ... take some action, [it] must not be surprised if the people of the planet disbelieve that they are seriously committed to the promotion of human rights," Dugard said in a statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council. The South African lawyer, who has been a special UN investigator since 2001, repeated earlier accusations that Israel is breaking international humanitarian law with security measures which amount to "collective punishment." Israel says its security restrictions, which include the construction of a steel and concrete barrier in the West Bank, are designed to stop suicide bombers entering Israel. Bombings have declined since the barrier was built. It also maintains tight restrictions on the movement of goods and people into and out of Gaza also due to security measures. Dugard also attacked the United States, the European Union and Canada for withdrawing funding for the Palestinian Authority in protest at the governing party Hamas's refusal to accept Israel's right to exist. Hamas, a militant Islamic group that came to power after elections in January, is sworn to Israel's destruction. "Israel violates international law as expounded by the Security Council and the International Court of Justice and goes unpunished. But the Palestinian people are punished for having democratically elected a regime unacceptable to Israel, the U.S. and the EU," Dugard said. There was no immediate comment from either Israel or its main ally the United States, but the Palestinian question was due to be debated by the Human Rights Council later on Tuesday. Past criticism, however, has been strongly rejected by Israel and the United States, which say that the current crisis has been provoked by attacks by Palestinian militants. Dugard said that three-quarters of Gaza's 1.4 million people were dependent on food aid. Bombing raids by Israel since the June 25 capture of an army corporal by Palestinian militants had destroyed houses and the territory's only power plant. "Gaza is a prison and Israel seems to have thrown away the key," he said. The West Bank also faced a humanitarian crisis, albeit not as extreme as Gaza, in part due to the barrier, which Dugard alleged was no longer being justified by Israel on security grounds but was part of a move to annex more land. Palestinians living between the barrier and the Green Line, the frontier at the end of the 1967 Six Day War, could no longer freely access schools and places of work and many had abandoned local farms, he said. "In other countries this process might be described as ethnic cleansing but political correctness forbids such language where Israel is concerned," Dugard said Bookmark to del.icio.us   Chicken or the egg? A UN human rights expert says Palestinian terror 'inevitable' result of occupation. A reason to kvell Jews are America's top-earning religious group, according to a new survey.   1.   Extermination camps 18:35  |  not one of them 26/09/06   2.   !!Jabal!! 18:44  |  Dr.Danielito 26/09/06   3.   Didn`t Israel Leave Gaza? 18:46  |  Tex 26/09/06   4.   extermination camps? anti-Jewish drivel 18:52  |  Paul Freedman 26/09/06   5.   Gaza 18:53  |  manijeh 26/09/06   6.   Send them to Sinai where they`ll be `free` 19:06  |  Dani 26/09/06   7.   #1 19:06  |  Stalin 26/09/06   8.   UN rarely acts or speaks rationally 19:22  |  J Andrew 26/09/06   9.   funny 19:24  |  yo 26/09/06   10.   Nonsense, and not even creative nonsense 19:24  |  Bimmer 26/09/06   11.   Gaza Camps 19:25  |  avraham 26/09/06   12.   More UN vomit 19:37  |  Boris 26/09/06   13.   Independent Palestinian Gaza 19:40  |  Wade 26/09/06   14.   avraham 19:41  |  jorge 26/09/06   15.   Not Extermination Camp, Not Sovereign 19:41  |  Chill People 26/09/06   16.   Waht does the "U*nwanted *N*obody say about the daily Qassams? 19:41  |  Yaakov K. 26/09/06   17.   Dugard, look after your own house 19:44  |  Ex South African 26/09/06   18.   Israel Can Do No Wrong 19:47  |  Dan 26/09/06   19.   Human Rights 19:55  |  Frank 26/09/06   20.   Duggard`s home base is Holland:Let her take the pals in 19:56  |  Absolute Sweden 26/09/06   21.   Egypt has a wall, why isn`t that inhuman 20:00  |  Evan 26/09/06   22.   Apartheid Israel Does Not Deserve To Be Recognized 20:03  |  Mr. Knowitall 26/09/06   23.   Stuff the Qassams 20:13  |  Marilyn 26/09/06   24.   To # 7 20:13  |  Watcher 26/09/06   25.   A prison of their own making 20:17  |  David Teich 26/09/06   26.   jorge 20:18  |  manijeh 26/09/06   27.   Will the real Duggard stand up? 20:19  |  alp 26/09/06   28.   LIBERATE GAZA,W.BANK,DESTROY TERROR,LET PALESTINIANS GO))))))))) 20:30  |  -VOICE of MOSHIACH)) 26/09/06   29.   DAN #18 is an idiot 20:45  |  jay b 26/09/06   30.   Same Old Story 20:47  |  Ron 26/09/06   31.   How many times does this have to be said? 20:51  |  Clickfool 26/09/06   32.   JORGE #22 - you need help 20:57  |  jay 26/09/06   33.   Free the inmates! 21:07  |  Yakov 26/09/06   34.   Responses to the blind 21:09  |  Leb 26/09/06   35.   #1 - F U - how dare you compare the holocaust to gaza 21:11  |  jay 26/09/06   36.   # 26 21:23  |  jorge 26/09/06   37.   MR KNOWITALL 21:26  |  J 26/09/06   38.   dear jay 21:33  |  manijeh 26/09/06   39.   Dugard`s position 21:38  |  Mike 26/09/06   40.   What crap... 21:40  |  bat yam 26/09/06   41.   The new canard...a concentration camp...what a load of BS 21:44  |  a.p. 26/09/06   42.   Boring 21:47  |  Danny - Israeli one 26/09/06   43.   Israel`s crimes 21:52  |  cecil jones 26/09/06   44.   Open rafah crossing with one way ticket to egypt 21:54  |  Joseph E . 26/09/06   45.   Jay 21:57  |  jorge 26/09/06   46.   1 WALL - 3 EXITS 22:00  |  YEHUDA 26/09/06   47.   #38 - 22:03  |  jay 26/09/06   48.   Just another UN usless garbage let them... 22:06  |  Mark G 26/09/06   49.   Historical Mirroring 22:15  |  Rowan Berkeley 26/09/06   50.   Democracy in action! 22:25  |  Scott 26/09/06   51.   #31, as you well know, repeating a lie doesn`t make it true 22:26  |  Danny - Israeli one 26/09/06   52.   Rowan Berkley,go and preach to your racist Arch. of Canterbury 22:27  |  Àbsolute Sweden 26/09/06   53.   #1 response, says it all 22:27  |  Jenna 26/09/06   54.   rowan you are a 2time fool 22:28  |  the lord our god 26/09/06   55.   Yes to # 1 this is the reality 22:30  |  US person 26/09/06   56.   I thought pals want to sacrifice for their jihad? 22:32  |  Ben 26/09/06   57.   bradley burston 22:33  |  Omar 26/09/06   58.   jorge 22:34  |  jay 26/09/06   59.   TEX no they didnt 22:39  |  Omar 26/09/06   60.   A prison of their own making 23:08  |  Steve 26/09/06   61.   OMAR - instead of blamming israel why not blame the real culprit 23:11  |  jay 26/09/06   62.   A democratic Israel has no choice. 23:11  |  Bob 26/09/06   63.   #31 - clickfool - is a fool 23:27  |  jay 26/09/06   64.   Omar: More Moslemaniac propaganda 00:26  |  Yaakov 27/09/06   65.   yes, Mr. Knowitall 00:58  |  Mendel the Mean 27/09/06   66.   arabist apologists and cry me a river 01:08  |  peter 27/09/06   67.   What Crap!!!!!!!!! 01:16  |  Hessel 27/09/06   68.   Why is it Israel`s problem? 01:21  |  Michael 27/09/06   69.   Dugard, Hamas 02:00  |  me 27/09/06   70.   #23 Care To Revise Yor Statement? 02:41  |  Tony Anthony 27/09/06   71.   HOW ABOUT IF YOU..... 02:56  |  Mark G 27/09/06   72.   Haaretz`s New Censhorship Policy 03:09  |  lovesirony 27/09/06   73.   This farcical idea that Israel withdrew from Gaza 03:21  |  Johnboy 27/09/06   74.   Omar and the Palestinain Miracle 03:27  |  # 57 27/09/06   75.   jorge # 45 - foreign investments 03:32  |  ChanahS 27/09/06   76.   # 49 and historical mirroring 03:38  |  ChanahS 27/09/06   77.   To Mr. Knowitall in Bumf... Mn 04:00  |  Eli 27/09/06   78.   Gaza Prison 05:46  |  David Blackman 27/09/06   79.   The farcical Johnboy 07:02  |  peter 27/09/06   80.   For Everyone says it the Palestinian`s fault 09:56  |  Falastiniah 27/09/06   81.   #72, if no Palestinians leave Gaza 11:46  |  Danny - Israeli one 27/09/06   82.   80: To lying Falastiniah 11:50  |  David Teich 27/09/06   83.   Canadian debt? 22:18  |  Dan 27/09/06   84.   Interesting # 80. Palestinian from COLORADO writes:.............. 14:46  |  Vittorio 19/10/06

Today Online Shmuel Rosner: A promise no American liberal Jew can ignore Responses: 10 Poll: Most Israelis back direct talks with Hamas on Shalit Responses: 33 Japanese PM to Haaretz: Response to Iran must be resolute Responses: 32 Jewish groups mull UN racism meet after Israel decides to skip Responses: 62 Amira Hass: For Palestinians, an unarmed struggle would be suicide Responses: 12 Rosner's Domain Can Obama restore the Black-Jewish alliance? Jews mostly stay Jewish (WTR) Would Obama be supportive of an Israel governed by Likud? Poll: Is it time for Israel to end the blockade in Gaza? Obama`s top adviser says does not believe in imposing a peace settlement More Headlines 12:06 Palestinians: IAF kills five militants in Gaza strike 12:23 Obama: I'm a 'stalwart friend' of Israel, its security is 'sacrosanct' 11:21 Japanese PM to Haaretz: World response to Iran nukes must be resolute 11:18 Abbas: Hamas helping Al-Qaida establish base in Gaza Strip 07:29 Poll: Most Israelis back direct talks with Hamas on Shalit 12:08 Where the wheel stops, nobody knows 09:52 Egypt intelligence chief due in Israel for talks on Gaza tension 08:53 Jewish groups mull UN racism meet after Israel decides to skip 12:25 Omri Sharon begins 7-month prison term for fraud 04:47 Sderot boy injured by rocket to undergo further operations 07:48 Court set to issue indictment on Katsav sex-crime allegations Previous Editions Select Day 26 feb 25 feb 24 feb 22 feb 21 feb 20 feb 19 feb 18 feb 17 feb 15 feb 14 feb 13 feb

Special Offers Advertisement Free the Palestinians from: Corrupt Kleptocracy, Tyrannical Theocracy, Abysmal Anarchy Long-term Israel programs MASA is your gateway. More programs. More grants. 7589 rockets fired so far HELP US TO HELP THEM Marina Royale Herzelia Pituach Your Luxurious Suite While Staying in Israel Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Dead Sea Salt Beauty and skin care from the Dead Sea. Coupon code HAARETZ for 10% off! Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved