PHA-Exchange> Palestine: Two years of Intifada

[Aviva]

> Today marks the second year of the current Palestinian uprising against
the
> Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the repression of
the
> Palestinian people. During the last two years, the Israeli response to the
> Palestinian people's struggle for internationally recognized right to
> self-determination and towards an end to the Israeli colonization of their
> land has grown increasingly violent and aggressive. In September 2000,
> Palestinians were met by Israeli soldiers firing rubber-coated-metal
bullets
> and live ammunition, today nearly all the West Bank towns have been fully
> 're-occupied' by the Israeli army and have been placed under strict
> military-enforced curfew. In Gaza, the population is bracing itself for an
> imminent reoccupation.
>
> More than 1,914 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli soldiers,
settlers
> or police since September 2000. Also counted among these are those who
died
> as a direct result of the Israeli occupation, i.e. those denied access to
> life saving medical treatment when ambulances were stopped and turned away
> at checkpoints, and the unborn babies who died when their mothers could
not
> reach hospital because of closure or curfew:
>
> · 71 Palestinians have died after being prevented access to medial
> treatment,  21 of those were children, 13 were newborn babies.
> · 169 have died in extra judicial assassination attacks, of these 31 were
> bystanders at the time and 44 were "unintended" victims killed as they
were
> with the victim. 22 were children.
> · 22.5% were aged 18 or younger, i.e one out of every five killed
> · 60% were shot with live ammunition
> · 85% were civilians or not involved in any violent action or attack at
the
> time they were killed
> · 17 medical personnel were killed while on duty
>
> An estimated 41,000 Palestinians have been injured in the same period:
2,500
> of those are permanently disabled, 500 of whom are children
>
> The prolonged Israeli closure of the Occupied Territories has destreoyed
the
> Palestinain economy and lead to serious damage to infrastructure and civil
> society:
>
> · 75 % of the Palestinian population live in poverty (less than US$ 2 per
> day) and unemployment has reached 65%.
> · 30% of children under 5 years of age suffer from chronic malnutrition,
21
> % from acute malnutrition
> · 45% of children under 5 and 48% of women of childbearing age suffer from
> moderate to mild anemia
> · During the first 15 months of the Intifada the occupation caused
physical
> damage amounting to US$ 305 million. During the month long invasion in
March
> and April 2002, the Israeli army destroyed and looted US$ 361 million
worth
> of property
>
> This violent and dangerous occupation regime is now being met by a popular
> non-violent resistance, including peaceful marches in the streets with
> people protesting the three-month long curfew regime, the siege and the
> continued killing of innocent people.
>
>
> For more information contact  Palestine Monitor,  see
www.palestinemonitor.org