Sawasya: Karam Abu Salim closure a crime against humanity

[ 12/04/2011 - 06:29 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)-- The Sawasya center for human rights in Palestine has called for the formation of a commission of border specialists to assess the impossible circumstances of life in the Gaza Strip seven days after Israel closed the Karam Abu Salim border crossing.

The group called the terminal's closure ”a crime against humanity and an infringment on the most basic human rights and the Geneva conventions”.

The Karam Abu Salim crossing alone does not cover the needs of the local population as transporters must take extra measures to move the goods, and prices have soared on citizens because of the additional costs for tranportation. Israel closed the Karni crossing last month placing the load all on Karam Abu Salim.

The Gaza ministry of agriculture has released a fresh statement warning that the constant closure of crossings into the Gaza Strip since the Israeli siege started four years ago amounts to a threat to the tiny enclave's agricultural sector.

The statement says the crossing closure has had a direct impact on livestock as the food shortage worsens, emphasizing that it would inevitably lead to the death of large amounts of cattle and poultry.

Children have also been deprived of dairy products for the past week as wells as red meats and proteins.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian