Reply #1: Killing Palestinian children.

[Tom Joad]

The plan by the U.S./Israeli govts to destabilize Hamas by striking at the economy of the Occupied Territories reminds me of Nixon/Kissinger plan to destroy the economy under democratically elected President Allende of Chile to destabilize the government. They wanted to make the economy “scream”. Eventually they promoted a coup that gave the Chilean people Pinochet, a brutal fascist dictator. (Pinochet did have good relations with Israel.)

These economic sanctions themselves have consequences. The economy of Palestine is already screaming in pain.

A humanitarian crisis is growing in the occupied territories of the West Bank and Gaza. A full 22% of Palestinian children under the age of 5 have been found to be suffering from malnutrition. Nearly 16% are suffering from anemia, many of whom will suffer from permanent negative effects on their physical and mental development as a result. This is the findings of a study sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and John Hopkins University, cited in a report put out by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. See here.

“There is a humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza. It is not the result of a natural disaster. Instead, it is a crisis imposed by a powerful State on its neighbor” the UN commission states.

The future of the Palestinian people is threatened by Hurricane Bush/Olmert. This will bring nothing but more pain, suffering and violence. It is tragically that the US and Israeli governments pursue such short-sighted strategies.