Peace and Justice Post

B’Tselem said the blockade shattered Gaza’s economy and caused blackouts and pollution [Reuters]

The death toll in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories was “much lower” in 2009 than previous years, but human rights abuses against Palestinians remain widespread, according to a new report from the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem.

The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces dropped by more than 80 per cent last year, the report pointed out on Monday.

But human rights abuses still run rampant in the Palestinian territories, particularly in the Gaza Strip, where B’Tselem blamed Israel’s blockade for “the collapse of the economy”.

The report noted that 95 per cent of Gaza’s factories have closed, that 98 per cent of residents suffer from blackouts, and that 93 per cent of Gaza’s water is polluted.

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