Aiding the occupation

Israel has long received aid to fund colonial settlement, ethnic cleansing and the occupation but in today's Guardian Ghada Karmi argues that aid agencies supposedly aiding the Palestinians are also funding the occupation in their own way.

By paying up without caveat, donors in effect relieve Israel of its obligations under international law. As the occupying power, Israel must deliver assistance and services to the Palestinian population. As high contracting parties to the Geneva conventions, the donors are obliged to ensure Israel's compliance with the law. None of this has happened. Instead, international aid has rendered the occupation cost-free. It has even enriched Israel's economy: according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development, for every dollar produced in the occupied territories, 45 cents flows back to Israel.

She also claims that the kidnapping of aid workers is explained by the politics of aid distribution. This is also the theme of an article by Said Ghazali in today's Independent.[pay per view!]