UNICEF speaks to memory of boys killed in Gaza

Sabine Dolan, UNICEF, 13 December 2006

A Palestinian child attends a rally protesting Monday's killing of the three sons of a Palestinian intelligence chief loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas in Gaza City, December 13, 2006. (MaanImages/Wesam Saleh)The killing of three young brothers in Gaza City yesterday has shocked the Palestinian community across the political divide and exposed, once again, the plight of children living in the volatile region."I am shocked by the tragic event," stated UNICEF's Special Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Dan Rohrmann. "This is another event highlighting the serious deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory - and with tragic consequences for civilians, including children."Masked gunmen shot at a car carrying the three boys, between the ages of four and nine, on their way to school. Their father, Baha Balousha, was a senior Fatah intelligence officer. No one has claimed responsibility for the killings.Four child bystanders were injured during the shooting, which took place in a street crowded with children. An adult was also killed.Fears of escalation"This has been a tragic year for Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank," said Mr. Rohrmann. "It's been one of the deadliest years that we have seen."So far this year, 123 Palestinian children have been killed - more than double the 2005 figure. In Gaza alone, 103 children have been killed.The latest attack has been condemned by outraged Palestinians and has triggered a wave of protests, including demonstrations by mothers and children. But the event is also raising fears of an escalation in factional clashes."People now have a feeling of hopelessness" explained Mr. Rohrmann. "Poverty has hit an all-time high at around 70 per cent, unemployment is around 40 per cent and these have had dire consequences for the Palestinian population. They're hit from too many angles and there is nothing they can hold onto anymore. All coping mechanisms are down."Protecting children's rightsThe tragedy comes in the wake of one of the most difficult and stressful periods in Gaza's recent history - a time when children have been denied their rights to health, education and protection.In August, UN humanitarian agencies working in the area stated their alarm over the impact of ongoing violence on civilians and civilian infrastructure. These hostilities have resulted in a sharp decline in the situation facing Gaza's 1.4 million people- more than half of them children."As UNICEF today, marks its 60th anniversary," said Mr. Rohrmann, "I call upon all parties to protect children's rights. These rights must be safeguarded irrespective of the context they happen to live in." Related Links
UNICEF
Human rights organizations respond to Gaza shooting, PCHR (11 December 2006)
BY TOPIC: Children

Curb unilateral decisions regarding Iraqis

IRAQ

By Raed Jarrar

November 22, 2006


The Iraq Study Group, led by former Secretary of State James Baker and former Rep. Lee Hamilton, is being portrayed as a magic wand that will conjure up a solution for Iraq the same way rabbits jump out of empty hats.

President George W. Bush seems to be giving the group enough space by making a number of surprisingly open-minded statements about changing the course in Iraq. And by nominating Robert Gates, a member of the group, as the next secretary of defense, he has raised its profile.

Many observers suspect that the latest flexibility in the administration's discourse is nothing more than a PR job attempting to draw a less stubborn image. Besides, Bush could always blame future failure on the group's nonpartisan recommendations and plans.

Reminding the Middle East region of a history of other ill-fortuned plans with two names, like the Sykes-Picot agreement in 1916 and San Remo conference in 1920, the Baker-Hamilton group appears to be intent on drawing more borders and partitions that will further fragment the region. It seems that the new group may recommend some kind of "divisions but not partitions" plan to cut Iraq into three regions.

Such partitionist ideas have been floating around lately and repeated by many U.S. lawmakers and analysts. Nevertheless, the majority of Iraqi leaders and analysts believe that any division plans, in addition to keeping foreign military presence in Iraq, are a perfect formula for creating a full-scale, long-lasting war between the different regions and factions fighting over territory and natural resources.

Ironically, the only people who seem to be working to cut Iraq into three states are the U.S, al-Qaida and Iranian politicians. The three enemies seem to have finally found some common ground.

The pro-Iranian parties in the Iraqi government, like SCIRI and Dawa, are working to create a Shi'a state in the south of Iraq. Al-Qaida wants to create a Sunni state in the middle, and the U.S., supported by some allies in the region, wants to cut Iraq apart into small fragments and run away. But the vast majority of Iraqi Sunni and Shi'a groups and leaders are working, without a foreign agenda, to protect their country's unity.

If the United States were really concerned about peace and stability in Iraq, it would stop interfering in Iraq's domestic politics and give Iraqi leaders the space to build their national government and armed forces.

It's shocking that the only times "diplomacy" is mentioned in dealing with Iraq, it's about negotiating with Iran and Syria instead of negotiating with Iraqis.

We all know there's a need to change course in Iraq, but the new course will not be any better if it is based on more unilateral decisions. The U.S. should learn from Israel's failed unilateral approaches to its conflicts with the Lebanese and the Palestinians. The only way out of Iraq will not be through more military and political unilateral solutions; it will be through giving Iraqis the time and space they need to rule their own country by themselves, and to take their own decisions when it comes to keeping their country's unity and sovereignty.


Raed Jarrar is the Iraq project director at Global Exchange and a contributor to Foreign Policy In Focus, on the Web at www.fpif.org.


Copyright © 2006, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

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