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ESCR / Urgent Interventions / Israel / 2002 / November

Israel: Israel and Palestinian Territory Occupied : new policy affecting Gazan workers

ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS CONCERN
Case ISR 221102. ESCRC


The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Israel.

Brief description of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by LAW, a member of the OMCT network, of a new policy enforced against impoverished Gazan workers by Israeli Occupation Authorities.

According to the information received, Israeli Occupation Authorities have issued new work policies in the Eretz industrial zone in the northern Gaza Strip, which forbid Gazans from wearing shoes, coats or bringing food from home. For other industrial zones, it is reported that wearing coats is now forbidden.

These new policies allegedly come in the wake of recent comments made by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who intends to “ease the suffering” of Palestinians not “involved in terrorism”. In this respect, it is reported that Israeli sources defend these new policies by claiming that they would prevent the smuggling of weapons.

Prior to the first Intifada, Gazans used to seek work in Israel but since the Oslo peace process, Gaza has been completely sealed off with devastating effects on employment and poverty levels. Moreover, it is reported that during this Intifada, small workshops, greenhouses and farm lands have all come under Israeli bombardment. Moreover, many Gazans who are forced to seek work to survive are allegedly becoming a pool of extremely cheap labour for Israeli industrial zones (located in the Occupied Territories) and settlement building.


Action Requested
Please write to the Israeli authorities urging them to:

i. guarantee respect for the economic, social and cultural rights of Gazans, and notably their right to food and their right to clothing as part of the right to an adequate standard of living as enshrined in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;

ii. guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards such as the Fourth Geneva Convention and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.


Addresses

· Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister, Office of the Prime Minister, 3 Kaplan Street, Jerusalem 91007, Israel. Fax:(+ 972 2) 651 2631 / 566 48 38

· The Supreme Court of Justice, Kiryat Ben Gurion, Jerusalem, Israel. Fax: (+ 972 2) 652 71 18

Please also write to the embassies of Israel in your respective country


Geneva, November 22, 2002

Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.

Properties

Date: November 22, 2002
Activity: Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Type: Urgent Interventions
Country: Israel
Subjects: Employment and working conditions, Land and Housing, Right to adequate standard of living

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