Reuters/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
A young Palestinian carries on his horse cart piles of scrap metal in Gaza, where prices for scrap metal have plummeted
Thursday, 6 March 2008
The British Government should end its boycott of Hamas and work to lift a crippling blockade of Gaza which has left humanitarian conditions at their worst level for 40 years, the top UK charities say today.
The call on Britain to spearhead a radical change of EU policy by promoting reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah comes in a stark report that describes the Gaza Strip overwhelmed by steeply rising poverty, power cuts of up to 12 hours a day, and water and sewage systems close to collapse.
The report condemns rocket attacks on Israel but warns that the "failing" international policy of isolating Hamas has not "reaped any benefits". Instead both the UK Government and the EU should begin a "political dialogue with all Palestinian parties" as a first step towards the establishment of a "credible" peace process with Israel involving both the West Bank and Gaza.
The report was published as the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, yesterday bowed to US pressure and current international policy by agreeing to resume his negotiations with Israel only hours after warning that he would not do so until there was a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
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