(29 Aug 2002)
Jerusalem, 29 August 2002
1. Exterior of Israeli Government press office
2. Wide shot of press conference
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Terje Roed-Larsen, UN envoy to the Middle East
"I am deeply disturbed by the figures on unemployment, poverty and income losses. But I am not surprised. Given the iron grip that Israel has applied on the West Bank with the daily curfews and military action, combined with closure that bring life to a standstill. Without outside aid the economy and society with it would collapse. Against this back drop and before the eyes of the world - the Palestinian civilian population is scrambling to survive."
4. Cutaway
Ramallah - File, 11 March 2001
5. Various of Ramallah roadblock
Jerusalem, 29 August 2002
6. SOUNDBITE: (English) Terje Roed-Larsen, UN envoy to the Middle East
"The pressing humanitarian issues must be addressed on a parallel basis with the restart of the peace process. Without this, cease-fires and interim security arrangements will fail, as they have consistently in the past."
7. Wideshot of press conference
STORYLINE:
The UN envoy to the Middle East Thursday said he was 'deeply disturbed' by new UN figures showing the Palestinian economy in tatters due to Israeli restrictions.
Terje Roed-Larsen said these were the first international statistics on the Palestinian economy after Israel reoccupied major Palestinian urban areas last spring as a response to suicide bombings.
According to UN figures, poverty is up to 70 percent in Gaza and 55 percent in the West Bank.
The UN defines poverty as per capita consumption of US two dollars or less per day.
Since last March, 56 percent of Palestinian households lost at least half their income, and about 20 percent lost all their income, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.
Israel has imposed curfews and sealed off much of the West Bank, severely restricting the movement of goods and people.
Residents of six of the eight major urban areas in the West Bank are confined to their homes, often for days at a time.
Terje Roed-Larsen acknowledged that easing restrictions could pose new security risks to Israel but he said failing to do so would fuel the very extremism Israel is trying to quell.
He called on both parties to resume peace talks as the only viable solution to the current Mideast impasse.
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