Gary Fitleberg, November 16, 2003

Why should anything the United Nations Against Israel (U.N.A.I.) does, reports, or says regarding Israel be held to an honesty? Why should this U.N. report or resolution be different from any others?

Israel’s Foreign Ministry blasted a new UN report on the security fence as Arab "Palestinian" propaganda and wildly inaccurate "even by UN standards."

The report, prepared by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that when the fence is completed, some 274,000 Arab "Palestinians" will be on the Israeli side.

According to Foreign Ministry officials, when the fence is completed, the number of Arab "Palestinians" on the Israeli side will not exceed 100,000. According to the UN report, "more than 400,000 other Palestinians living to the east of the Wall will need to cross it to get to their farms, jobs, and services. This means that approximately 680,000 -- 30 percent of the Palestinian population in the West Bank -- will be directly harmed by the Wall."

One must note for the record that it is neither a wall nor is there a "West Bank"!!! The barrier to terrorism is a security fence. One that can be moved or removed when the terrorism against Israeli citizens comes to a dead halt. Judea & Samaria is the ancient biblical historical homeland of Israel and the Jewish people. The "West Bank" terminology is an invention of the Arab political propaganda campaign to legitimize a nation of people that has NEVER EVER existed. But that’s another story!!!

One Foreign Ministry official said the report "simply harms the trustworthiness and credibility of the UN. It is the result of unprofessional work, and simply reflects ‘Palestinian’ propaganda."

For instance, the official said, the report states that Arab "Palestinians" living "in either enclaves or closed areas will have to pass through the fence to get to markets, schools, hospitals, and maintain family connections in the remaining areas of the so-called West Bank (actually Judea & Samaria).

"As yet," the report continues, "the Israeli government plans contain no information on access gates through the Wall." In actuality, the Foreign Ministry official said, 42 gates already exist in the fence. He also noted that 95 percent of the barrier is chain-link fencing with electronic sensors, while only 5 percent consists of sections of concrete anti-sniper wall.

In addition, the report says that some 14.5 percent of "West Bank" land will lie between the fence and the Green Line. This figure is completely inaccurate, the official said, adding that, according to a report released recently by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), that number is closer to 4 percent.

The official said the ministry is weighing what measures to take to protest against the "propaganda in the report." The report concludes that "If the military orders that restricted entry into the closed areas between the Green Line and the Wall are applied to the new parts of the Wall, then many thousands of 'Palestinians' are likely to be forced from their homes and land." This conclusion echoes arguments used by Arab "Palestinian" spokesmen that the fence is little more than an attempt to chase them from their homes -- an elegant "transfer."

OCHA opened up offices in Jerusalem some eight months ago. David Shearer, the head of the office, said the organization's mandate is twofold; to help coordinate between the UN organizations in the field so aid is more effectively used, and to report on the overall humanitarian situation in the territories.

"We are not opposed to the wall per se," Shearer said. "The big thing for us is the route of the wall, and the impact on the humanitarian situation." OCHA generally works in areas around he world hit the hardest by humanitarian catastrophes. Shearer has worked for OCHA in Kosovo, Rwanda, Liberia, and Afghanistan.

Whether you call it a fence or a wall, one thing is that the U.N. report lacks any credibility but comes as no surprise in a long list of reports and resolutions as the front for an Arab/Islamist dominated organization which should be more accurately named United Nations Against Israel!!!

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.

Copyright © 2003 Gary Fitleberg