Here you are: the UN said on July 2nd that the Middle East Quartet, which comprises the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States, issued a statement in which the four members said the conditions faced by Gaza’s civilian population – estimated at around 1.5 million – were “unsustainable.”

Last month (June 2011) Israel approved building materials for new homes and schools to be constructed in Gaza by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the UN adds

In June last year Israel also started allowing more civilian goods into Gaza while restricting access to concrete, iron and other materials, it says.

**The Quartet To Israel: Well Done, Well Done, But…**

In July 2nd statement, the Quartet noted that “efforts have improved conditions over the last year,” citing a marked increase in the range and scope of goods and materials into Gaza, an increase in international project activity, and the facilitation of some exports, says the UN news release.

And they (the Quartet) commended Israel’s recent approval of building materials, but added that “considerably more needs to be done to increase the flow of people and goods to and from Gaza, including a liberalization of the market in aggregate, steel bar and cement.”

**… Kinldy Implement Decisions**

Quartet members also urged Israel to fully implement its decision in June 2010 to ease the blockade and to take “further meaningful steps to improve the situation in Gaza,” adding that they would work through the Quartet Representative Tony Blair and others to ensure that the needs of Gazans are being met, according to the UN.

They stressed that Israel has legitimate security concerns that must also continue to be safeguarded, and the Quartet members said they were committed to working with Israel, Egypt and the international community to prevent the illicit trafficking of arms and ammunition into Gaza.

“Efforts to maintain security while enabling movement and access for Palestinian people and goods are critical,” the statement added.

**Nothing to Gazans—Give Everything To Israel!**

“In this context, the Quartet strongly urges all those wishing to deliver goods to the people of Gaza to do so through established channels so that their cargo can be inspected and transferred via established land crossings,” according to the statement which implicitly stricltly heralds Israel conditions for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza population.

**Sorry For The Killing Of Innocent People!**

“The Quartet regrets the injury and deaths caused by the 2010 flotilla, urges restraint and calls on all governments concerned to use their influence to discourage additional flotillas, which risk the safety of their participants and carry the potential for escalation.”

In addition, the Quartet reiterated its calls for an end to the detention of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held captive by Palestinian militants for the past five years.

The UN news release about the UN, US, EU and Russia statement does not say one single word about the killing of some 1,500 civilian Palestinians and the injury of some other 4,500 due to Israel massive military attacks on Gaza during three weeks in December 2008 and January 2009.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=38924&Cr=Palestin&Cr1=

Copyright © 2011 Human Wrongs Watch