HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NOON BRIEFING
BY STEPHANE DUJARRIC, SPOKESMAN FOR SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON
TUESDAY, 25 NOVEMBER 2014
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INCITEMENT FANS FLAMES OF CONFLICT, SECRETARY-GENERAL SAYS
ON INTERNATIONAL DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINIAN PEOPLE
- The Secretary-General spoke yesterday at the General Assembly at the commemoration to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People and he said that he was deeply troubled by the situation in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Incitement and provocative acts related to the holy sites are fanning the flames of conflict far beyond the holy city, he said. He once again strongly condemned the reprehensible attacks against worshippers and other innocent civilians.
- The Secretary-General called on all parties to stand up to extremist forces, exercise restraint and respect the status quo governing these holy sites. He welcomed the repeated assurances given by the Government of Israel to the international community on that point.
- From Gaza, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) notes today that the Rafah crossing – in Southern Gaza, between Egypt and Gaza – has now been closed for a month to all people trying to exit or enter Gaza. This is the longest closure since 2008, when it was closed from 4 July to 3 August.
- The humanitarian impact is felt most by patients requiring urgent treatment. The Ministry of Health in Gaza estimates that some 1,000 patients inside Gaza are waiting to exit Gaza to get critical treatment. An additional 1,000 patients are unable to return from treatment abroad, delaying their continued care inside Gaza, while 15 medical staff are also waiting to return to Gaza.
- No humanitarian supplies or construction materials have entered Gaza through Rafah during this month. This makes the people of Gaza completely dependent on the Kerem Shalom crossing, the only functioning goods crossing with Israel. Today, in fact, through that crossing, through the Kerem Shalom crossing, 28 trucks carrying construction material entered Gaza, as part of the mechanism set up by the UN and Israel and the Government of Gaza.
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Document symbol: NoonBriefing_251114
Document Type: Briefing, Highlights of the Noon Briefing
Document Sources: Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP), Division for Palestinian Rights (DPR), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Secretary-General
Subject: Access and movement, Casualties, Closure of institutions, Closures/Curfews/Blockades, Gaza Strip, Health, Holy places, Incidents, International presence, Jerusalem, Security issues, Solidarity day, Terrorism
Publication Date: 25/11/2014
Document Type: Briefing, Highlights of the Noon Briefing
Document Sources: Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP), Division for Palestinian Rights (DPR), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Secretary-General
Subject: Access and movement, Casualties, Closure of institutions, Closures/Curfews/Blockades, Gaza Strip, Health, Holy places, Incidents, International presence, Jerusalem, Security issues, Solidarity day, Terrorism
Publication Date: 25/11/2014