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	The search for Middle East peace by United Nations News Middle East   21 June 2010 (UN News)   The United Nations and its partners in the search for Middle East peace have welcomed Israel’s decision to allow more civilian goods into the Gaza Strip, saying that implementation of the new policy will help meet the needs of the territory’s inhabitants and address Israel’s security concerns.   “Full and effective implementation will comprise a significant shift in strategy towards meeting the needs of Gaza’s population for humanitarian and commercial goods, civilian reconstruction and infrastructure, and legitimate economic activity as well as the security needs of Israel,” the Quartet – made up of the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States – said in a statement.   The group said that it will continue to work with Israel, the Palestinian Authority (PA), and other concerned parties to ensure that the new arrangements are implemented as quickly as possible.   The Quartet also pledged to actively explore additional ways to improve the situation in Gaza, encourage involvement of the PA at the crossings and promote greater commerce between the West Bank and Gaza, the statement added.   Acknowledging that Israel has legitimate security concerns that must continue to be safeguarded, the Quarter said it believed that efforts to maintain security while enabling movement and access for Palestinian people and goods are critical.   It pledged to work with Israel and the international community to prevent the illicit trafficking of arms and ammunition into Gaza, and urged all those wishing to deliver goods to do so through established channels.   Members also reiterated their support for proximity talks toward the resumption, without pre-conditions, of direct bilateral negotiations that resolve all final status issues as previously agreed by the parties.   “The Quartet believes these negotiations should lead to a settlement, negotiated between the parties within 24 months, that ends the occupation which began in 1967 and results in the emergence of an independent, democratic, and viable Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza, living side by side in peace and security with Israel and its other neighbours,” it added.   27 December 2009   On the first anniversary of the Gaza conflict, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced deep concern that neither the issues that led to the conflict nor its worrying aftermath have been addressed.   The military campaign, known as “Operation Cast Lead,” had the stated aim of ending rocket attacks by militants operating in Gaza, and left over 1,400 people dead, injured 5,000 others and reduced homes, schools, hospitals and marketplaces to rubble.   Mr. Ban said that restrictions on building supplies and aid entering Gaza has paralyazed the economy and reconstruction efforts. “There is a sense of hopelessness in Gaza today for 1.5 million Palestinians, half of whom are under eighteen,” said Mr. Ban, stressing that their “fate and the well-being of Israelis are intimately connected.”   The Secretary-General called on Israel to end the blockade of Gaza. At the same time, he urged Hamas “to bring an end to violence,” and for both sides to “fully respect and uphold international law.”   “Today"s anniversary is a reminder of the bitter consequences of the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, to which there is and can be no military solution,” Mr. Ban said in a statement attributable to his spokesperson.   “The urgent priority of all Israeli and Palestinian leaders, the region, and the international community as a whole must be the achievement of a two State solution.”   In a report issued last month, Mr. Ban stressed that the blockade of vital supplies has devastated Gaza’s economy and “has also severely impaired the realization of a wide range of economic, social and cultural rights, as well as civil and political rights.”   An independent fact-finding mission concluded that both Israeli forces and Palestinian militants were guilty of serious human rights violations during Operation Cast Lead.   In his annual report released last month, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said “the Government of Israel should allow unimpeded access to Gaza for humanitarian aid and the non-humanitarian goods needed for the reconstruction of properties and infrastructure”.   The report noted that insufficient food and medicine is reaching Gazans, producing a further deterioration of the health of the entire civilian population.   In a new policy brief, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), reported that more than 80 per cent of Gaza’s population are now impoverished; 43 per cent unemployed; and 75 per cent lack food security. “In view of the eroded productive base, poverty is likely to widen and deepen unless reconstruction begins in earnest and without further delay,” it warned.
	Amnesty International condemns indiscriminate bomb attacks in Baghdad by Amnesty & news agencies Iraq   Dec. 8, 2009   Amnesty International has condemned the indiscriminate bomb attacks in Baghdad that killed at least 120 people, and injured over 400 others.   "There can be absolutely no justification whatsoever for indiscriminate attacks or attacks that target civilians. Such attacks are war crimes. They must be investigated thoroughly by the authorities and those responsible must be identified and brought to justice." said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty International"s director for the Middle East and North Africa.   Nov. 2009   In the gardens of the living and the dead, the war goes on.   It is just after dawn Friday, which is the first day of Id al-Adha, literally “the Great Feast,” celebrated by Muslims worldwide to coincide with the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. The alleyways of the Adhamiya neighborhood are deserted at this hour, everywhere except in the memorial garden behind the Abu Hanifa mosque, which is the most hallowed place of worship for Iraqi Sunnis.   Thousands of mourners gather at the headstones of the cementry in what only three years ago was a community garden on the banks of the Tigris River. This is a relatively new tradition in Iraq, paying respects to the dead between morning prayers and the feast held later in the day. On this one day, the garden of the dead overflows with the living.   The garden, known as the Martyrs of Adhamiya since it became a cemetery in 2007, is so densely packed with graves that it is often difficult to walk between the rectangular capstones. Six months ago, the authorities counted 9,000 graves, but many more have been added since. Nearly all are victims of Iraqi-on-Iraqi violence of one sort or another — terroristic bombings, sectarian killings, political assassinations.   Here no one believes the war is over. “Even in a hundred years it won’t get better,” says Sabriya Fadhil Abbas, kneeling at the grave of her brother Ali, 39, killed by a car bomb in 2008, leaving a wife and seven children.   People stand prayerfully before the graves, with both hands cupped before them.   “They are the lucky ones,” says Wafa Nuri Hussein. “They have a place to rest. When it is our turn, there will be no more room for us.” Another women Mariam Yassin weeps in front of the graves of her two sons inconsolable in her grief..
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