UN, int'l agencies warn of halting operations in territories

The heads of UN and international agencies operating in the territories recently warned Israel that they may stop their activity in the territories unless Israel alters its closure policy.

In a sharp letter to the Israeli authorities, the agencies' directors say that Israel's recent security measures in the West Bank and Gaza strip are making it impossible to provide humanitarian relief, and that many agencies find this unacceptable.

"Severalo rganizations indicated that they are now are seriously considering whether they should continue to work at all under these circumstances," the directors say. They complain that despite numerous meetings with the military authorities, the relief agencies are subject to unpredictable and sudden changes on the ground, whose purpose is often obscure and rarely explained.
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