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| December 15, 2006
DESPERATE PALESTINIANS NEED CANADA'S HELP SAYS McDONOUGH HALIFAX (NS) - NDP Foreign Affairs and International Development Critic Alexa McDonough (Halifax) today expressed deep disappointment that the federal Conservative government has not yet responded to the UN's recent $450 million emergency appeal for humanitarian aid for the Palestinians – the largest ever for the Palestinians. “With two-thirds of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip living in abject poverty, the crisis is particularly crushing on children who make up about half of the population,” said McDonough. “Given this bleak picture, the federal government's non-response to the UN emergency appeal is a disgrace!” Exacerbating this already desperate situation is the Palestinian National Authority's inability to pay its 160,000 employees, who support at least one million family members, as a result of the international boycott and Israel's withholding of an estimated $500 million in tax revenues collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. To make matters worse, Palestinians face over 500 checkpoints, roadblocks and other restrictions on movement across the West Bank alone, severely limiting their access to jobs, markets, health services and schools. “In their appeal, the twelve UN agencies and fourteen NGOs working with the Palestinians stress the growing number of people now unable to cover their daily food needs and the deterioration in basic services such as health care and education. If a political solution is not negotiated in the near future, poverty and desperation can only worsen, contributing to the further escalation of violence,” said McDonough. “As a continuing advocate of the two-state solution for the Israeli and Palestinian people, it is more critical than ever that Canada contribute generously to the humanitarian relief efforts in Gaza and the West Bank,” said McDonough. “This season of religious observances including Christmas, Hanukah and Ramadan provides the ideal opportunity for Canada to step forward and make a significant contribution to this largest ever emergency relief operation for impoverished Palestinians.”
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