Statements of UN High Commissioner regarding the siege “anger” Israel

Tuesday November 18, 2008 22:22 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli was “angered” by the statements of Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; as she called on Israel to immediately lift its blockade over the Gaza Strip as this siege violates the international and humanitarian law.

Navi Pillay - UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Pillay issued a statement from her office in Geneva urging Israel to allow the entry of food, medicine and fuel into the Gaza Strip and called on Israel to restore electricity and water supplies.

 In her statement, Pillay said that Israel is depriving 1.5 million Palestinians from the basic human rights and called on Israel to halt its air strikes and invasions to the impoverished Gaza Strip.   

 She also called on Palestinian fighters to stop the firing of homemade shells into adjacent Israel areas.

 The Israeli ambassador to Geneva, Aharon Leshno-Yaar, was angered by the statement of Pillay and accused her of being “shortsighted and repeating blatant information”.

 He said that Palestinian groups fired more than 170 homemade shells in the past ten days.

 The Israeli ambassador also denied that Israel is cutting essential supplies to Gaza.

 On Monday, Israel allowed only two trucks loaded with foods and medicine into the Gaza Strip.

 International human rights organizations said that the two trucks are not enough and will not alleviate the food shortages in the Gaza Strip.

 Israel is still barring fuel shipments from reaching the main power plant in Gaza forcing the residents to go through repeated and extended blackouts.

Since November 4, the UNRWA has been unable to provide essential services to more than 750.000 refugees in the Gaza Strip due to Israeli restrictions and the illegal siege.

Nearly 270 patients, including women, children and elderly, died in the Gaza Strip due to the siege as Gaza hospitals ran out of basic medical supplies and equipment while Israel is barring the patients from leaving the Gaza Strip for medical treatment elsewhere.

gaza strip | international politics | news report saed at imemc dot org