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LETTER TO AMOS HAREL (II)

December 16, 2013

In Blog

Dear Amos,
 
Amnesty International notes that the recent power plant shutdown has “exacerbated an ongoing water and sanitation crisis” and put Gaza’s population in “the shadow of a public health catastrophe.“ 
 
But you say, “The situation in Gaza is not currently a humanitarian crisis.”  And since you are an honorable man, Amnesty must be wrong. 
 
 “The blockade has collectively punished Gaza’s population in violation of international law. The power plant shutdown has further affected all aspects of daily life, and the Israeli authorities must lift the blockade immediately, starting by allowing urgently needed fuel supplies into the Strip and working with all relevant parties to avert a prolonged humanitarian crisis this winter,”  says Philip Luther, Amnesty International’s Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program.
 
But you say, “The situation in Gaza is not currently a humanitarian crisis.” And since you are an honorable man, Luther must be wrong.
 
UNRWA describes large regions of Gaza as a “disaster area,” with the area around the Jabaliya refugee camp reduced to “a massive lake.”
 
But you say, “The situation in Gaza is not currently a humanitarian crisis.”  And since you are an honorable man, UNRWA must be wrong.
 
The World Health Organization reports “critical shortages” in medicines and dangerous power cuts, amounting to a situation of “chronic humanitarian crisis.“
 
But you say, “The situation in Gaza is not currently a humanitarian crisis.”  And since you are an honorable man, the World Health Organization must be wrong.
 
Gaza’s population is living with 12 hour daily blackouts; and in the wake of the recent flooding more than 5,000 people have been evacuated from their homes.
 
But you say, “The situation in Gaza is not currently a humanitarian crisis.”  And since you are an honorable man, the whole world must be wrong.
 
Regards,
Sanjeev