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ADC - January 25, 2008
Washington Post editorial distorts the facts about Gaza
Washington, DC, January 25, 2008 - The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is deeply disturbed by the Jan 24 Editorial by the Washington Post about the situation in Gaza. ADC encourages you to write to the Washington Post about their distorted editorial. Below you will find a letter sent to the Post by ADC, you can send your letters to letters@washpost.com
Here is text of ADC’s letter to Washington Post:
The author(s) of Jan 24 editorial by the Washington Post claim that "no one is starving in Gaza." Apparently, the Post did not consult the latest reports by the World Food Programme and the UN Relief and Works Agency which call for immediate aid to be sent to the impoverished Gaza Strip to "urgently prevent a humanitarian crisis."
Basic research by the Washington Post would have also found that 79 percent of the 1.5 million Gazans live in poverty and approximately 70 percent of the Gazans live on less than 250 dollars a month and food purchases account for 60 percent of household expenditures (World Food Programme, Jan 11, 2008).
The Post also fails to mention that despite Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005, Israel continues to have complete control over Gaza's land, sea, and air borders; utilities; tax revenue; and internal economy, making it an occupying power.
The editorial goes on to call for Egypt to close the border and to turn back the Gazans. Under humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions, Gazans must be allowed access to humanitarian aid and supplies. Gazans should not be forced to go without food or medicine nor be forced to live under constant collective punishment. An end to the misery inflicted by the ongoing Israeli occupation should be the goal for all, however, the Washington Post seems to favor halting the peace process instead. Shame on the Post.
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