An Appeal From A Friend by Email
To punish Palestinians for voting on Hamas the US has placed an embargo on all
funds going into Palestine. It is causing widespread hunger in the West Bank.
This embargo was put in place at the urging of the Israeli government.
December 2006
Dear Friend,
As the holiday season approaches, we appreciate our blessings and enjoy the bountiful food that we often take for granted. We also become aware of the hunger of others. In Palestine today, fathers feel helpless to put a loaf of bread on the table, mothers are worried about the worsening health of their sons and daughters, and innocent children sleep side by side with hunger and pain. More and more families wait for a meal that may never come.
Here in Palestine, the impact of the Israeli occupation and embargo has created a hunger crisis of unprecedented proportions. Unemployment is now approaching a record level of 40%, and 75% of the households in Gaza are living in poverty.
Ironically, while families go unfed because they cannot afford groceries, Palestinian farmers are becoming impoverished because they cannot sell their produce. Even with the razing of their land and the appropriation of their water, Palestinian farmers have been remarkably successful at harvesting crops - but the fruits of their labor often go uneaten. The local population cannot afford to buy these basic goods, and Israeli restrictions prevent the export of this produce out of Gaza. At the crucial Karni crossing from Gaza into Israel, for example, farmers' produce often sits in trucks for several hours, rotting in the sun.
Poor Palestinian families increasingly have nowhere else to turn except to their generous friends and supporters abroad. UPA is teaming up with the Welfare Association in Palestine to provide immediate assistance to them with an Emergency Food Drive. This will not just provide the basic necessity of food for those going hungry in Palestine; it will also benefit a starving economy by supporting local Palestinian farmers.
With your generous support, this year UPA has already provided: $6.5 million worth of pharmaceuticals for Gaza, $190,000 of assistance for 812 needy children, $105,000 in University scholarships for 211 students, $185,000 in grants for education and community development.
With another $500,000 UPA can feed 1,500 Palestinian families and invest in the economy. Your generous contribution to this Food Drive will make a difference to a struggling farmer and a hungry child in Palestine.
Your gift will bring new hope to those most desperately in need.
With gratitude and compassion,
Dr. Haidar Abdel Shafi, Trustee
Please make your check payable to "UPA" and mail to the below address. Or log on to www.helpUPA.com to donate by credit card.
United Palestinian Appeal, Inc.
1330 New Hampshire Ave., NW, Suite 104 Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 659-5007 Toll free in USA 1-800-892-6183 Fax: (202) 296-0224
Email: contact@helpupa.com Website: www.helpUPA.com
To punish Palestinians for voting on Hamas the US has placed an embargo on all
funds going into Palestine. It is causing widespread hunger in the West Bank.
This embargo was put in place at the urging of the Israeli government.
December 2006
Dear Friend,
As the holiday season approaches, we appreciate our blessings and enjoy the bountiful food that we often take for granted. We also become aware of the hunger of others. In Palestine today, fathers feel helpless to put a loaf of bread on the table, mothers are worried about the worsening health of their sons and daughters, and innocent children sleep side by side with hunger and pain. More and more families wait for a meal that may never come.
Here in Palestine, the impact of the Israeli occupation and embargo has created a hunger crisis of unprecedented proportions. Unemployment is now approaching a record level of 40%, and 75% of the households in Gaza are living in poverty.
Ironically, while families go unfed because they cannot afford groceries, Palestinian farmers are becoming impoverished because they cannot sell their produce. Even with the razing of their land and the appropriation of their water, Palestinian farmers have been remarkably successful at harvesting crops - but the fruits of their labor often go uneaten. The local population cannot afford to buy these basic goods, and Israeli restrictions prevent the export of this produce out of Gaza. At the crucial Karni crossing from Gaza into Israel, for example, farmers' produce often sits in trucks for several hours, rotting in the sun.
Poor Palestinian families increasingly have nowhere else to turn except to their generous friends and supporters abroad. UPA is teaming up with the Welfare Association in Palestine to provide immediate assistance to them with an Emergency Food Drive. This will not just provide the basic necessity of food for those going hungry in Palestine; it will also benefit a starving economy by supporting local Palestinian farmers.
With your generous support, this year UPA has already provided: $6.5 million worth of pharmaceuticals for Gaza, $190,000 of assistance for 812 needy children, $105,000 in University scholarships for 211 students, $185,000 in grants for education and community development.
With another $500,000 UPA can feed 1,500 Palestinian families and invest in the economy. Your generous contribution to this Food Drive will make a difference to a struggling farmer and a hungry child in Palestine.
Your gift will bring new hope to those most desperately in need.
With gratitude and compassion,
Dr. Haidar Abdel Shafi, Trustee
Please make your check payable to "UPA" and mail to the below address. Or log on to www.helpUPA.com to donate by credit card.
United Palestinian Appeal, Inc.
1330 New Hampshire Ave., NW, Suite 104 Washington, DC 20036
Tel: (202) 659-5007 Toll free in USA 1-800-892-6183 Fax: (202) 296-0224
Email: contact@helpupa.com Website: www.helpUPA.com
posted by Bronwin Peel at 5:04 PM
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