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United Nations Relief and Works Agency Commissioner-General Karen Koning AbuZayd (AP)
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Last update - 19:30 19/11/2007
UNRWA chief: Blockade on Gaza is fueling support for extremists
By The Associated Press
Tags: Hamas, blockade, UNRWA, Gaza

The head of the U.N. agency responsible for aiding Palestinian refugees said Wednesday that Israel's near economic blockade of the Gaza Strip is fueling support for extremists and shattering hopes for a peaceful future.

"They're trying to punish those who've taken control of Gaza but in fact
they're punishing everybody inside Gaza, a very small percentage of whom
s
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upport the people who are controlling Gaza right now," Karen Koning AbuZayd of the United Nations Works and Relief Agency said.

The violent takeover of the Gaza Strip last June by the Islamic militants of the Hamas movement, and their continual rocketing of Israel, has led to Gaza's increasing isolation. In September, Israel declared Gaza a hostile entity, clearing the way for economic sanctions.

AbuZayd painted a grim picture of life in the Gaza Strip, saying there has been a 71 percent decrease in goods going into Gaza since May, there is zero stock of 91 drugs compared to 61 last month, and farmers do not have the money to get their crops picked or send them to market so they are rotting.

"That means that there are no fruits and vegetables to supplement the basic rations that 80 percent of Gaza's population receive - flour, oil, sugar, a bit of lentils and powdered milk - either from UNRWA or the U.N. World Food Program," she said.

"It's not good enough," AbuZayd told a news conference. "UNRWA's only giving 61 percent of the daily nutritional needs."

"The main commercial crossings into Gaza from Israel and Egypt have been closed since June, so there are no imports, exports, and there isn't even enough cash being brought in which has made living very difficult," she said.

"We at least have these two military crossings we're using and getting in just enough humanitarian supplies," AbuZayd said. "Israel is very concerned that there is no humanitarian disaster there. There will always be enough food and medicine, but these are very basic rations that are coming in."

AbuZayd said the UNRWA director in Gaza met his counterparts from the Israeli Defense Forces Wednesday morning to discuss the deteriorating situation.

She said they seem to have come to some agreement - "certainly (there was) some sympathy that something needs to be done to make up for these decreasing supplies and the continually decreasing economy of Gaza.

"The point that my director made ... and the point that we are making is we're losing the fight to those who are on the extreme end of the groups in Gaza - and they're the ones that are benefitting by this isolation and this continual squeeze on Gaza and its economy and the people of Gaza," AbuZayd said.

"It can't go on too much further that there is no import and export and
movement of people," she said.

AbuZayd said that Wednesday's meeting was "very positive with the Israelis recognizing maybe this is going too far and having the opposite effect of what we want. This is not moving us to peace and security. It is moving us in the opposite direction."

She said she was hopeful that several hundred university students and a few thousand people who went to Gaza for the summer and have been unable to leave will be allowed to leave through the Rafah crossing.

She also expressed hope that the U.S.-sponsored Mideast conference, set for the end of this month in Annapolis, Maryland, will lead to positive movement on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and provide new hope for the Palestinian people.

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      1.   local reaction 03:58  |  realism 08/11/07
      2.   They have already voted Arab Terrorists into office 04:01  |  Genuine Tosefta 08/11/07
      3.   unrwa itself is cause of exremism they should be removed 05:02  |  ralph 08/11/07
      4.   Errr, Occupation breeds civil revolt! How F`n dumb are you Israel 05:53  |  POP 08/11/07
      5.   the gaza / muslim / arab MESS 06:13  |  joe 08/11/07
      6.   Fueling support for extremists? They are aware of this 06:15  |  Natallie Durson 08/11/07
      7.   Fueling Support? THEY WON THE LAST ELECTIONS ! 06:17  |  Mike 08/11/07
      8.   How dumb r u POP 06:17  |  truthnonger 08/11/07
      9.   Thats right 06:18  |  truthnonger 08/11/07
      10.   Fueling And De-Fueling 06:32  |  Jeff Northridge 08/11/07
      11.   UNRWA chief is an anti-semite 06:33  |  Jerusalem Jew 08/11/07
      12.   So the condemn cutting power, but not ending lives? 06:38  |  Joseph 08/11/07
      13.   Let Gazans rise up against Hamas if they don`t support it! 06:56  |  redmike 08/11/07
      14.   This is a surprise? To whom? 06:56  |  Steve 08/11/07
      15.   Palestinians fuel themselves without Israel 06:58  |  Joe Sittizen 08/11/07
      16.   So why is Hamas spending one million dollars on a movie studio? 06:59  |  Gili 08/11/07
      17.   Bizarre 07:14  |  Ron 08/11/07
      18.   AbuZayd - I like that name.True model of neutrality 07:23  |  infidel 08/11/07
      19.   UN= UNWANTED NOBODIES 07:43  |  WARRIOR 08/11/07
      20.   EGYPT SHOULD TAKE GAZA/NOT ISRAELS RESPONSIBILITY 07:45  |  WARRIOR 08/11/07
      21.   UN= TERRORIST APPEASERS 07:47  |  THE LIBRARIAN 08/11/07
      22.   POP # 4 What Occupation? 08:27  |  Jeff Northridge 08/11/07
      23.   another instance of the brain and mouth being unconnected 08:37  |  victor hardman 08/11/07
      24.   Abuzayd 08:46  |  Brad 08/11/07
      25.   UNRWA 08:49  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 08/11/07
      26.   Pop I know what you mean 08:51  |  Brad 08/11/07
      27.   Just drop all this "anti-semite" and "terrorist lover" shit 09:10  |  Johnboy 08/11/07
      28.   Pals elected the extremist Hamas before the blockade. 09:18  |  PETER S.M. 08/11/07
      29.   UNWRA 09:24  |  Baruch Hashem 08/11/07
      30.   Israel doesn`t know how to do clever 09:26  |  Clickfool 08/11/07
      31.   A perfect definition of a war crime 09:27  |  Clickfool 08/11/07
      32.   # just as Israelis voted Jewish terrorists into officel 09:30  |  European 08/11/07
      33.   Baruch Hashem: you are wrong 09:37  |  Greek citizen 08/11/07
      34.   "Why Do They Hate Us": EASY TO UNDERSTAND Why Israel Is Disliked. 09:40  |  Proud Pal Defender 08/11/07
      35.   #22 Jeff pops up again 09:43  |  Johnboy 08/11/07
      36.   STEVE # 14 09:44  |  Mordecai Ben Natan 08/11/07
      37.   Genuine Tosefta and history 09:49  |  Truths 08/11/07
      38.   To Pop 09:57  |  Boris 08/11/07
      39.   Clickfool 10:00  |  Sarah 08/11/07
      40.   CFOOL Something too subtle for you& her.Stop daily Qassems 10:03  |  PETER S .M. 08/11/07
      41.   JOHNBOY didyou read Johnstone was released when Hamas decided it 10:05  |  PETER S .M. 08/11/07
      42.   UNRWA forgets some relevant facts 10:14  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 08/11/07
      43.   does anyone responsible want Gaza? 10:22  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 08/11/07
      44.   For Sarah # 39 10:29  |  Clickfool 08/11/07
      45.   UNRWA 10:33  |  Johnny 08/11/07
      46.   But UNWRA that`s what you want. Why are you objecting? 10:46  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 08/11/07
      47.   Poor Germans subjected to this thru all the WW2 ,quelle domage! 10:50  |  Absilute Sweden 08/11/07
      48.   "EUROPEAN"?? Allergic to the name Khalid? 10:52  |  PETER S.M. 08/11/07
      49.   #30,Israel certainly knows how to be clever 11:01  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 08/11/07
      50.   Only a blinkered Zionist could say this # 49 11:24  |  Clickfool 08/11/07
      51.   IF WE ORDINARY ONES ... 11:39  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 08/11/07
      52.   I suggest that the Chief UNRWA address her complains to the 11:40  |  Avihu 08/11/07
      53.   Is UNWRA worried we`re encroaching? 11:48  |  David Teich 08/11/07
      54.   27/35: JB muttering about `popping up`? Funny. 11:53  |  David Teich 08/11/07
      55.   #44 Clickfool 11:58  |  Sarah 08/11/07
      56.   #50, only a blinckered antisemite would say this 12:16  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 08/11/07
      57.   Judeo-Fascism in action 12:16  |  Leon T 08/11/07
      58.   #51, Atilla 12:19  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 08/11/07
      59.   CFOOL "Zionist"Zionist".Most of us grew out of name callling 12:43  |  PETER S.M. 08/11/07
      60.   Extremists,fanatics... 12:50  |  Anne 08/11/07
      61.   How right you are, Avihu # 52, how right!!! 12:53  |  Robert 08/11/07
      62.   another dishonest report 13:13  |  raymond deane 08/11/07
      63.   For Sarah # 55 13:34  |  Clickfool 08/11/07
      64.   Put this into context for us, Cipora # 56 13:38  |  Clickfool 08/11/07
      65.   because we are prisoners 13:51  |  Adam 08/11/07
      66.   #62 and raymonde should know he writes lies all of the time 13:59  |  victor hardman 08/11/07
      67.   As others have already noted, why doesn`t 14:07  |  Fawaz 08/11/07
      68.   Northridge and standing truth on its head 14:16  |  Truths 08/11/07
      69.   It did not take genius to see 14:19  |  Mark Lincoln 08/11/07
      70.   #64 Clickprick,are you an idiot also? 14:42  |  Hastaroth 08/11/07
      71.   #57 Leon`s stupidity in action 14:43  |  Hastaroth 08/11/07
      72.   unrwa is a lucrative business 14:49  |  and if not 08/11/07
      73.   unrwa has made the palestinians a dependent people 14:52  |  and if not 08/11/07
      74.   TO ALL THOSE CLEVER PEOPLE WHO HAVE NO IDEA OF THE TRUTHT 14:52  |  Christian Van Nieker 08/11/07
      75.   gazans are not innocent, they shoul be bombed 16:48  |  vladimir 08/11/07
      76.   @1, local reaction 16:50  |  vladimir 08/11/07
      77.   #66 Victor Paul Hardhead still in the yr 1922 17:48  |  Labhras 08/11/07
      78.   support for extremists 17:52  |  felix 08/11/07
      79.   The Olmert expertise in "unattainable goals" 18:04  |