(Economist-UK) The UN has been Gaza's only significant link with the outside world since Israel and Egypt locked the gates at both ends of it. Hamas needs that link, so protects the UN - up to a point. But both also view each other as rivals. The same security forces who let the thugs pass to burn the UN camp then blocked UN supporters when they tried to protest. Some Hamas people have falsely claimed that the UN lets boys and girls play together. UN people fear that numbers at their camps may fall thanks to Hamas' intimidation. To satisfy Western aid-givers, UNRWA has introduced human-rights courses into its school syllabus. Textbooks due to be distributed this year describe the Holocaust and Jewish suffering, with a picture of Yasser Arafat, the late Palestinian leader, visiting Anne Frank's museum in Amsterdam.
2010-05-28 10:20:33Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive