For Immediate
Release
A convoy of hope to Nablus
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Palestine map with the location of Nablus |
(Jerusalem – July 27, 2006) –
On Wednesday July 26, Caritas Jerusalem took part in a convoy of
humanitarian food aid and direct financial assistance to the
city and the people of Nablus in the central West Bank. The
convoy has been organized in coordination with the Governor of
Nablus, the Palestinian National Authority Ministry of Social
Affairs, Caritas Jerusalem and with religious leaders in
Jerusalem. The solidarity visit to Nablus included His Beatitude
Msgr. Michel Sabbah, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and the
President of Caritas Jerusalem, the Rt. Reverend Bishop Munib
Younan, the head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan
and the Holy Land, the Armenian Orthodox Bishop Aris Shirvanian
and Bishop Riah Abu Al Assal, Bishop of the Episcopal Church of
Jerusalem and the Middle East.
The region of Nablus suffered
a very serious incursion in the middle of last week. It was
reported that "at least three Palestinians
were killed Wednesday (July 19) in exchanges of fire after an
IDF paratrooper unit surrounded a compound [the Nablus regional
government building] in Nablus. IDF forces killed a fourth
Palestinian later Wednesday, during clashes with stone-throwers
in Nablus. …
By early Wednesday afternoon, dozens of Palestinians, including
security officers, had exited the compound in surrender.
(Haaretz newspaper, July 20 2006 -
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/740311.html)." Of these
people who surrender, 15 people were arrested. In addition,
following the Nablus regional government building collapse, one
man managed to escape from the rubble after being trapped for
four days in the collapsed building.
This incursion into Nablus is
only the latest in the ongoing degradation of this city. The
region of Nablus is now surrounded and even further cut off from
the rest of the West Bank. Commerce has slowed to a virtual
halt. The Palestinian National Authority is now entering its
fifth month with no support for the wages of its workers and the
West Bank has been under an ongoing closure since the
hostilities began in the North of Israel almost two weeks ago.
|
A Nablus
municipal employee collects papers from the ruins of
the Nablus governmental complex destroyed last week
by an incursion of the Israeli army into Nablus
(Photo: Al Quds Newspaper) |
In coordination with the Governor of Nablus, the Palestinian
Ministry of Social Affairs and Caritas Jerusalem, some 500 very
vulnerable families were identified as in urgent need of food
aid. The criteria for receiving the assistance were: (1)
families where the main breadwinner is unemployed; (2)
Palestinian National Authority employees who have not been paid
going on five months; (3) Those who became unemployed due to the
ongoing problems here in Palestine. Therefore, Caritas Jerusalem
has organized the distribution of some 500 parcels of direct
assistance to these vulnerable families. These humanitarian aid
packets were delivered by convoy yesterday accompanied by the
religious leaders. This total intervention was budgeted at about
$35,000 USD. In addition to this assistance, the local
government in Nablus has agreed to support 200 more families
with a similar aid package.
The aid convoy was accompanied by Palestinian police escort and
leading religious leaders in Nablus from the Christian, Muslim
and Samaritan communities greeted the convoy and delegation and
expressed their thanks to all involved for this expression of
solidarity to the people of Nablus.
In addition, as President of Caritas Jerusalem, His Beatitude
Msgr. Michel Sabbah delivered a check to the St. Luke's Hospital
in Nablus to help them purchase needed medicines which are
currently in short supply.
This assistance has been made possible due to the support of
numerous Caritas partner organizations who have joined Caritas
Jerusalem's Special Operations Appeal (SOA) "Emergency Support
for Palestine." So far Caritas partners from Australia, Belgium
Canada, England, Japan, Spain, Luxembourg, Italy, Ireland,
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland and France as well as
other organizations such as Aid to the Church in Need from
Germany and many individual donors have supported this appeal.
This appeal was issued in May for almost 1.5 million USD. Since
the initial release of the appeal, the situation in the Holy
Land has deteriorated dramatically since the end of June.
Caritas Jerusalem is requesting interested parties who wish to
support this appeal to contact us. Contributions can be directed
to the following contact points:
