Archive for May 16th, 2023

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16/05/2023

75 Years Later, Israel Blocking Palestinian Refugees’ Return

Human Wrongs Watch

By Omar Shakir, Israel and Palestine Director, Middle East and North Africa Division | HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH*

‘Nakba’ Anniversary Highlights Continued Israeli Repression

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 Palestinian children return from school to their homes in the Jabalia Refugee Camp on the 74th Anniversary of Nakba Day in the northern Gaza Strip, May 15, 2022. © 2022 Mahmoud Issa/SOPA Images/Sipa USA via AP Photo

From the morgues of Cairo to the cells of Guantanamo, I’ve seen a lot of anguish and cruelty in my human rights work over the years. But often more than blood spilled, it’s the lives stunted, solely because of a person’s identity, that hits the hardest.

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16/05/2023

Severe Funding Shortfalls Could Leave 200,000 Palestinians Hungry

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN NEWS)* — Grave funding shortages could cut assistance to more than 200,000 Palestinians, the UN food agency warned on Thursday [11 May 2023].

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A Palestine refugee receives food assistance packages at the UNRWA Jabalia distribution centre in Gaza.
© UNRWA/Mohamed Hinnawi | A Palestine refugee receives food assistance packages at the UNRWA Jabalia distribution centre in Gaza.

Unless donors meet the gap, 60 per cent of the people the agency assists in the Occupied Palestinian Territories will no longer be receiving food assistance in June, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced, adding that by August, the agency will be forced to completely suspend operations in the West Bank and Gaza.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” said Samer Abdeljaber, WFP Representative and Country Director in Palestine.

“We have no option but to stretch the limited resources we have to ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable families are met. They will go hungry without food assistance.”

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Posted in Africa, Asia, Market Lords, Middle East, Migrants and Refugees, Others-USA-Europe-etc., The Peoples, War Lords | 1 Comment »

16/05/2023

UNRWA Commisionner-General Calls for Support of Palestine Refugees in Audience with Pope Francis

Human Wrongs Watch

ROME, 11 May 2023 (UNEWA)* — Today, His Holiness Pope Francis received the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini.
 
His Holiness Pope Francis (left) receives UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini (right) at the Vatican on 11 May 2023. © Vatican Media

His Holiness Pope Francis (left) receives UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini (right) at the Vatican on 11 May 2023. © Vatican Media

The Commissioner-General described the unprecedented challenges facing Palestine Refugees, especially amid a lack of prospect to reach a solution to their plight.

He provided the Pope with an overview on the pressing needs of Palestine Refugees across the UNRWA areas of operation and firsthand testimonies following his recent visits to Syria and Lebanon following the devastating earthquake.

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16/05/2023

United Nations Marks 75 Years Since Displacement of 700,000 Palestinians

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — The UN on Monday [] commemorated for the first time in its history, the mass displacement of Palestinians from land that was to become Israel, 75 years ago, that turned 700,000 Palestinians into refugees, almost overnight.

Barefoot and pushing their belongings in prams and carts, Arab families leave the coastal town of Jaffa which became part of the greater Tel Aviv area in the state of Israel.
UN Photo | Barefoot and pushing their belongings in prams and carts, Arab families leave the coastal town of Jaffa which became part of the greater Tel Aviv area in the state of Israel.

The mass displacement in 1948, known as the Nakba (meaning “catastrophe” in Arabic), has an importance to Palestinians across the world, said Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, addressing a high-level event at UN Headquarters in New York, marking the day.

‘The occupation must end’

“The legacy of the event lives on, spearing us to continue our unflagging efforts to find a peaceful and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” she said, noting that the General Assembly had adopted a resolution in November 2022 for this commemorative day.

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Posted in Africa, Asia, Market Lords, Middle East, Migrants and Refugees, Others-USA-Europe-etc., The Peoples, War Lords | 2 Comments »

16/05/2023

World Health Organization Advises against Use of Artificial Sweeteners

Human Wrongs Watch

(UN News)* — New guidelines from the UN health agency released on Monday [] have advised against using non-sugar sweeteners (NSS).

Artificial sweeteners are commonly used to sweeten coffee and tea.
© Unsplash/Towfiqu barbhuiya | Artificial sweeteners are commonly used to sweeten coffee and tea.

The recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO) is based on a review of available evidence which suggests that artificial sweeteners do not help control body mass or reduce the risk of weight-related illnesses.
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Common NSS include acesulfame K, aspartame, advantame, cyclamates, neotame, saccharin, sucralose, stevia, and other stevia derivatives.
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“Replacing free sugars with NSS does not help with weight control in the long term. People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intake, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages,” says Francesco Branca, WHO Director for Nutrition and Food Safety.”

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