UN voices concern over Palestinian plight in East Jerusalem

PressTV - UN concerned about Palestinian plight:

Mon May 9, 2011 10:16PM
Hank Flynn, Press TV, New York

"Illegal Israeli settlements in the heart of Palestinian residential areas are doubly damaging to already-tense relationships in East Jerusalem al-Quds -- according to a new UN report on humanitarian concerns there.

According to the report -- 35 percent of the land has been confiscated for the construction or expansion of Israeli settlements -- while a mere 13 percent has been zoned for Palestinian residential use.

In this report -- a vast array of humanitarian concerns facing Palestinians in East Jerusalem are outlined -- including access to medical care and education.

The report makes numerous recommendations -- including the stoppage of settlement building and the prioritizing of housing and zoning for Palestinians -- recommendations that have been made numerous times over the years but have fallen on deaf ears.

The last popular effort by the UN Security Council to condemn settlement building in occupied areas was knocked down by a US veto just three months ago.

Former American president Jimmy Carter likened the situation to apartheid -- and while the report doesn't use that term -- it details very specific double standards for Palestinians and Israelis.

Dolphin acknowledged that the problems plaguing Palestinians are well established and that only a true political solution would bring any real change.

He did say that the report establishes for the first time that it is official policy that creates the humanitarian problems that exist.

Palestinian authorities continue to work toward achieving a successful vote on statehood in the UN General Assembly later this year.



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