The United Nations office for Human Affairs in the West Bank published
a report on Thursday morning accusing Israel of violating every article
of the Crossings agreements, and stated that Israel imposed strict
siege and closure on the Palestinian people.
The report, marking one year since the agreement was reached, stated that border crossings remained closed most of the year.
Also, the report revealed that the closure caused a significant increase in unemployment in the Gaza Strip since the level jumped from 33.1% in 2005 to 41.8% in 2006.
The percentage of closures reached 86% since Palestinian resistance groups captured the Israeli corporal Gilad Shalit in June 25.
Only 12 trucks per day managed to cross the Karni Trade Crossing since mid January 2006, while Israel vowed to allow 400 trucks to cross per day before the end of the year.
In the West Bank, Israel violated the article that states that Israel should ease the suffering of the residents in the West Bank by easing restrictions on their movement and the movements of good.
It also violated the article regarding allowing freedom of movement between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
Number of roadblocks increased by 44%, and movement between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is totally blocked, the report added, the West Bank is currently divided in 10 isolated sections.
Israel also violated its own vow to open a safe passage between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and its vows to allow the operation of Gaza naval and ground ports.
The agricultural sector suffered a 30 Million US Dollar loss this year, the shelling and bulldozing of agricultural hothouses and barracks caused additional 6 Million US Dollar losses, and 4200 employee in the agricultural sector are jobless.
The Eretz Border Crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel had been closed since eight months.
