Security Council report : February 2010 forecast

From the Security Council Report (February 2010 forecast):

Israel/Palestine: A briefing on the Middle East is expected. No outcome is expected. However, members will be mindful that the Secretary-General is due to submit a report to the General Assembly on Israeli and Palestinian investigations into violations of international humanitarian and human rights law in Gaza, following the Goldstone Report.

One and a Half Million People Trapped between Land, Sea and Air

an article by Nina Fleury dated January 9th 2010 on closures and restrictions imposed onto the Gaza Strip. The lack of essential imports, coupled with the ban on exports, has brought 95% of Palestinian businesses to close. Poverty levels have reached an estimated 80%, while unemployment stands at over 42%. 75% of the Gazan population, representing more than 1.1 million persons, now lack food security, compared with 56 percent in 2008. Some 1 million Gazans depend on food provided by aid agencies

The Goldstone Report

Much controversy around a report which in the end says what everybody knows.

The Goldstone report is the report of the fact finding mission on Gaza conflict. The mission was mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate all violations which occurred during the 27 december 2008 - 18 January 2009 conflict.

It is worth a read and it is worth reading what was said about it to understand the politics behind the conflict.

Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)

27 December 2008 – 18 January 2009

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) has released this report in order to highlight the reality of life in the occupied Gaza Strip, and to illustrate the dramatic deterioration in the human rights situation brought about by 928 days of continuous illegal closure, as well as numerous offensives, incursions and attacks.