One day old news, but relevant to the raid on Palestinian Bureau of
Statistics and more general destruction of infrastructure of the
Palestinian Authority by Sharon's government.

(Apologies for length. The URL itself was too long to send.)
- RR

From the Financial Times
http://news.ft.com/home/uk/

Palestinians stand to lose billions in aid
By Harvey Morris in Jerusalem
Published: April 4 2002 20:18

A senior World Bank official accused the Israeli army on Thursday of
destroying the internationally funded infrastructure of the
Palestinian territories, undermining the last hopes for reconciliation
in the Middle East.

Nigel Roberts, World Bank director for the West Bank and Gaza, said
the army had destroyed water and electricity facilities, homes,
schools and public buildings during its week-long invasion of
Palestinian towns.

He warned that if Israel dismantled Yassir Arafat's Palestinian
Authority, the world donor community - due to provide $1.5bn this year
- would lose the main conduit of aid to the Palestinian people.

"We are impressed by the performance of the Palestinian Authority in
delivering services under extremely difficult circumstances," he said.
"If they are incapacitated, eliminated or delegitimised, the donor
community will lose its channel to the Palestinians."

He said the donor community's nine-year-old programme in the
territories was intended to build up the institutions of an emerging
state - "assets now being needlessly damaged or destroyed".

International aid officials and diplomats protested on Thursday that
they were being barred from entering the West Bank by the Israeli
authorities, who have declared the invaded cities closed military
zones.

"That is illegitimate and a violation of existing agreements," said
Terje Larsen, the United Nations Middle East special envoy. Demanding
unhindered access to the West Bank for food and medical convoys, Mr
Larsen urged the Israeli government to respect international law in
the midst of a growing humanitarian crisis in which the civilian
population was trapped under curfew.

He was speaking hours after Israeli tanks invaded Nablus, the seventh
and largest town to be occupied in as many days. Heavy fighting was
reported.

A stand-off continued in Bethlehem where Israeli forces were besieging
the Church of the Nativity, where some 200 Palestinians, some armed,
have been holed up for two days.

A pharmacist, who said he was inside the church, told the Financial
Times by telephone that up to 240 Palestinians, including civilians
and policemen, were huddled on the floor after Israeli soldiers
blasted open a door.

Israeli officials denied the church had been damaged and have assured
church leaders it would not be attacked.

"They bombed the south door of the church and damaged the wall," said
the man, identifying himself as Aziz. "We're all lying on the floor.
There's no treatment for the wounded. Two were wounded when we came
here two days ago and another when they bombed the door."



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Robin Rice
Data Librarian
Edinburgh University Data Library
Main Library Bldg., George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ

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