Category Archives: Press Releases

Need to KNOW Knowledge

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PRESS Release:
From the WIBR/WARN Radio
Let the Watchman Declare what he see”s Is 21:6

There is certain Knowledge, you NEED to know. For starters, there is the gospel, and the foundation behind that, is not only the work of Christ, which is paramount, but the Word of God, he fulfilled. So here is the Ten commandments, just in case you don”t know them or have read them lately. Then there is the Bill of Rights, that all Americans should know. As our nation works to take away your freedoms, the police state mentality is gripping america. So look to both these to help you stand on that day. Of course none of this replaces, the salvation you need and should have. Trusting in the LORD Jesus, Yeshua Hamassiah as both Lord and Savior. So Fast, Pray, and Seek the LORD, then also Read the Ten Commandments, and the Bill of rights.

The Ten Commandments:

Deuteronomy 5:7  Thou shalt have none other gods before me.

Deuteronomy 5:8  Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth:

Deuteronomy 5:11  Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Deuteronomy 5:12  Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee.

Deuteronomy 5:16  Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

Deuteronomy 5:17  Thou shalt not kill.

Deuteronomy 5:18  Neither shalt thou commit adultery.

Deuteronomy 5:19  Neither shalt thou steal.

Deuteronomy 5:20  Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.

Deuteronomy 5:21  Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour”s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour”s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour”s.

The Ten Commandments: These are fulfilled in us by the Spirit of God

The Covenant Prophesied

Jeremiah 31:33  But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more

The Covenant Prophesied and Fulfilled

Hebrews 8:10  For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:
11  And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
12  For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
13  In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

Bill of Rights

Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Originally posted 2008-06-06 13:52:06. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

HHS Food Safety Programs Inspections

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Date: July 9, 2008
For Release: Immediately
Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343

Headline: HHS Announces New International Programs to Enhance Drug and
Food Safety Joint Inspections with European Union and Australian
Regulators; Third-Party Certification Program Are Latest Steps toward
Implementing New Import Strategy

U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt today
announced two groundbreaking programs designed to enhance the safety of
food and medical products exported to the United States.

“These programs will significantly increase our collaboration with
international and private sector partners to enhance the safety of
imported food and medical products,” Secretary Leavitt said. “Working
together, we intend to offer expedited access to those products shown to
meet our standards and to focus more of our resources on those products
that present higher risks.”
Continue reading →

Press briefing on missile defense: Follow-up

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Press briefing on missile defense: Follow-up
Bulletin of Atomic Scientists

Yesterday, George N. Lewis and Theodore A. Postol addressed the technical deficiencies in the proposed U.S. missile defense system in Europe during a Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists phone press briefing. (Press briefing audio is now available.) Highlights included:
On the capabilities of the system’s centerpiece radar, the European midcourse radar: “The European midcourse radar is much less powerful than you would expect for a radar of its size,” said Lewis, a coauthor of the May/June 2008 Bulletin article, “The European Missile Defense Folly.” PDF “So when you look at trying to detect, track, and discriminate real warhead targets, you find that this radar is hopelessly inadequate. In most trajectories, it will never be able to detect the warhead.”
On the system’s ability to combat Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles: “The Missile Defense Agency claims that the system’s interceptors are too slow to catch up with Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles,” Lewis said. “But the characteristics of the stages of these missiles and the characteristics of the homing kill vehicle motor are well-known. It’s fairly straightforward then to show that these interceptors should be much faster than the Missile Defense Agency says.”
On the likelihood that the United States will limit its missile defense deployment in Poland to 10 interceptors: “If Iran does eventually develop the technology and industrial infrastructure to build intercontinental missiles, why would they produce only one missile and not just keep producing them on this production line?” asked Postol, a coauthor of the May/June 2008 Bulletin article, “The European Missile Defense Folly.” PDF “So the Polish deployment of only 10 interceptors must be designed to be expandable.”

Listen to the Press Briefing

Read the Missile Defense Folly in its entirety in this PDF

Source: Go to this for source materials: http://www.thebulletin.org/content/media-center/announcements/2008/04/30/press-briefing-missile-defense-follow

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Investigation of Progressive Inflammatory Neuropathy

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Investigation of Progressive Inflammatory Neuropathy Among Swine Slaughterhouse Workers — Minnesota, 2007—2008

On October 29, 2007, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) was notified by a tertiary-care provider of unexplained neurologic illnesses among workers in a swine slaughterhouse (plant A) in southeast Minnesota. As a result, MDH initiated a detailed investigation at plant A to characterize the outbreak. This report describes the ongoing investigation and outbreak-control measures undertaken by state public health officials and CDC.

Plant A, located in southeastern Minnesota, employs approximately 1,200 workers and processes 18,000 pigs per day. After being notified of the illnesses, MDH investigators initiated active case finding, interviewed workers at plant A, and reviewed the plant’s occupational health and employment records. As of January 28, 2008, a total of 12 workers at plant A had been identified with confirmed (eight workers), probable (two), or possible (two) progressive inflammatory neuropathy (PIN) (Box). Illness onset ranged from November 2006 through November 2007. Median age of the 12 patients was 31 years (range: 21–51 years); six patients were female. All 12 patients reported being healthy before the onset of neurologic symptoms.

Symptoms ranged from acute paralysis to gradually progressive symmetric weakness over periods ranging from 8 to 213 days. Severity ranged from minor weakness and numbness to paralysis predominantly in the lower extremities affecting mobility. Eleven patients had evidence of axonal or demyelinating peripheral neuropathy by electrodiagnostic testing. Cerebrospinal fluid was obtained from seven patients. All seven had elevated protein levels (median: 125 mg/dL; range: 75–231 mg/dL [normal: 14--45 mg/dL]) with no or minimal pleocytosis (median: 1 cell/dL; range: 1–73 cells/dL in a nontraumatic tap); five patients had evidence of inflammation on spinal magnetic resonance imaging (four patients in peripheral nerves or roots and one patient in the anterior spinal cord).

All 12 patients reported either working at or having regular contact with an area where swine heads were processed (known as the head table), which was located within a larger processing area in plant A known as the warm room. A case-control study was conducted among plant A workers to identify specific risk factors associated with illness. The 10 patients with confirmed or probable cases were included in the study, along with two stratified control groups: 1) a random selection of 48 healthy warm-room workers and 2) all 65 healthy head-table workers. Statistically significant (p<0.05) differences were calculated by chi-square test. Blood samples and throat swabs were collected from all consenting case-patients and controls. As of January 30, laboratory investigations had not identified any infectious agent from the blood and throat-swab specimens that would explain the occurrence of PIN.

Results of the case-control study indicated that case-patients (seven of 10, 70%) were significantly more likely to have worked at the head table than the warm-room controls (12 of 48, 25%) (odds ratio [OR]: 7.0; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3--42.2; p = 0.009). Case-patients also were more likely to have removed brains or remaining skeletal muscle from the pig head (a process known as backing heads) (four of 10, 40%) than controls (two of 46, 4%) (OR: 15.3; CI = 1.8--163.4; p = 0.006). Among head-table workers, case-patients were significantly more likely to have removed brains or skeletal muscle from the head (four of seven, 57%) than head-table controls (eight of 65, 12%) (OR: 9.50; CI = 1.40--70.2; p = 0.01). Illness was not determined to be associated with previous travel outside or within the United States; exposure to chemicals, fertilizers, or insecticides; use of medications; or receipt of previous vaccinations.

An environmental assessment of the plant was conducted on November 28, 2007. Standard personal protective equipment (PPE) used by workers at plant A included hard hats, laboratory coats (including some that were short-sleeved), boots, hearing protection, eye protection, and specialized gloves that varied with the particular task of the worker. A compressed air device was used in the plant to harvest brain tissue from pig heads at the head table. The device was placed into the skull of the pig through the foramen magnum, and the force of the air disrupted the brain material into a liquefied form that made it easier to remove (a technique known as "blowing brains"). This technique caused generation of small droplets and splatter, possibly including aerosolized brain material, to which workers operating the device and others nearby might have been exposed. In response to the investigation, plant A voluntarily suspended harvesting of brains and instituted additional mandatory PPE on November 28, 2007, including face shields and long sleeves, for workers stationed at the head table and other workers who chose to use additional PPE.

Results of Case-Finding Survey

A survey of the 25 federally inspected swine slaughterhouses with >500 employees in the United States indicated that only three plants (plant A in Minnesota and plants in Nebraska and Indiana) reported recent use of compressed air to extract pig brains. To date, no cases of PIN have been identified in association with workers at the Nebraska plant. However, several workers at the Indiana plant have been preliminarily identified with neurologic illnesses and similar histories of exposure to head-processing activities at that slaughterhouse. Further assessments of these patients, and additional measures to identify other workers with illness, are being conducted in Indiana. As a result of this investigation, all three plants have stopped using compressed air to extract brain material.

Reported by: D Lachance, Mayo Clinic, Rochester; S Goyal, PhD, Univ of Minnesota, St. Paul; R Danila, PhD, A DeVries, MD, R Lynfield, MD, Minnesota Dept of Health. J Howell, DVM, J Wyatt, MPH, Indiana State Dept of Health. T Safranek, MD, Nebraska Dept of Health and Human Svcs. E Belay, MD, J McQuiston, DVM, L Schonberger, MD, J Sejvar, MD, Div of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases; S Brueck, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; J Adjemian, PhD, B Buss, DVM, J Gibbins, DVM, S Holzbauer, DVM, EIS officers, CDC.

Vatican/WCC study on Conversion

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Note: From the Watchman. This is a press release from the WCC. I put this here to help you understand the United Faith Dialogues initiatives which are ongoing.
Read my article Prophecy in Action: Towards a United Faith

World Council of Churches

For immediate release: 17 May 2006

Vatican/WCC study on conversion affirms freedom of religion, warns about “obsession of converting others”

A study process jointly sponsored by the Vatican and the World Council of Churches (WCC) kicked off this week by affirming the freedom of religion as a “non-negotiable” human right valid for everyone everywhere while at the same time stressing that the “obsession of converting others” needs to be cured.

“Freedom of religion is a fundamental, inviolable and non-negotiable right of every human being in every country in the world,” states the report of the 12-16 May meeting in Lariano/Velletri, near Rome, that launched the cooperative study.

“Freedom of religion connotes the freedom, without any obstruction, to practise one’s own faith, freedom to propagate the teachings of one’s faith to people of one’s own and other faiths, and also the freedom to embrace another faith out of one’s own free choice,” the report goes on.

But this right entails the “equally non-negotiable responsibility to respect faiths other than our own, and never to denigrate, vilify or misrepresent them for the purpose of affirming superiority of our faith”. Moreover, the “right to invite others to an understanding” of one’s own faith “should not be exercised by violating other’s rights and religious sensibilities”.

The report makes a bold recommendation: “All should heal themselves from the obsession of converting others”. Acknowledging that “errors have been perpetrated and injustice committed by the adherents of every faith,” it suggests that “it is incumbent on every community to conduct honest self-critical examination” of its historical record as well as its doctrines.

As a result of such “self-criticism and repentance,” some reforms should take place in order to ensure a healthier approach to the issue of conversion. Some concrete suggestions include: discouraging and rejecting “unethical means”, avoiding taking advantage of “vulnerable” people like children and disabled persons, and doing humanitarian work “without any ulterior motives”.

The report, issued by the 27 participants from Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jewish and Yoruba religious backgrounds, recognizes that “many differences and disagreements” remained among them, but nonetheless a “convergent understanding of the several aspects of the issue of religious conversion” developed.

The participants welcomed as useful and needed the idea of a collectively developed ‘code of conduct’ on conversion and suggested “that inter-religious dialogues on the issue of conversion should continue at various levels”.

Towards a Christian code of conduct on religious conversion

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Note: From the Watchman. This is a press release from the WCC. I put this here to help you understand the United Faith Dialogues initiatives which are ongoing.
Read my article Prophecy in Action: Towards a United Faith

World Council of Churches

For immediate release: 17 May 2006

Progress towards a Christian code of conduct on religious conversion

With Evangelical and Pentecostal representatives joining in at an 8-12 August consultation in Toulouse, the joint Vatican-WCC study process on religious conversion gets one step closer to its goal of a common code of conduct in seeking converts to Christianity.

Kicked off in May last year at a meeting that affirmed freedom of religion as a “non-negotiable” human right valid for everyone everywhere and at the same time stressed that the “obsession of converting others” needs to be cured, the three-year joint study process moves now into its second phase.

Intended as an intra-Christian discussion – whereas the first encounter featured participants from different faiths – the project’s second phase will consist of a high-level theological consultation entitled “Towards an ethical approach to conversion: Christian witness in a multi-religious world”. The consultation will take place at the Institute of Science and Theology of Religions (ISTR) in Toulouse, France, from 8-12 August.

At the consultation, some 30 Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Pentecostal and Evangelical theologians and church representatives will aim to articulate what a common code of conduct on religious conversion should look like from a Christian viewpoint.

“Conversion is a controversial issue not only in interreligious relations, but in intra-Christian relations as well”, says Rev. Dr Hans Ucko, WCC’s programme executive for inter-religious dialogue and cooperation. “In Latin America it is a source of tension between the Roman Catholic Church and the Pentecostal movement, while in other regions Orthodox churches often feel ‘targeted’ by some Protestant missionary groups.”

“Since there are many accusations of ’sheep stealing’ among Christians we will most likely also focus on this issue. The consultation in Toulouse will be the opportunity for doing so”, Ucko adds.

Scheduled speakers at the consultation are: Prof. Dr Thomas Schirrmacher, World Evangelical Alliance (WEA); Bishop Dr Tony Richie, Church of God (Pentecostal); Fr Dr Fiorello Mascarenhas, SJ (Roman Catholic Church); and Rev. Dr Hermen Shastri (WCC). The Catholic Archbishop of Toulouse, Mgr Robert Le Gall, will also be present.

The three-year study project jointly undertaken by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and the WCC’s programme on inter-religious dialogue and cooperation bears the name: “An interreligious reflection on conversion: From controversy to a shared code of conduct”. It was launched in May 2006 in Lariano/Velletri, near Rome, and aims to produce a code of conduct on religious conversion commonly agreed among Christians by 2010.

Additional information on the study process, including the report of the first meeting (only in English), is available at:

http://www2.wcc-coe.org/pressreleasesen.nsf/index/pu-06-04.html

More information on WCC and Interreligious Dialogue:

http://www.oikoumene.org/en/programmes/interreligiousdialogue/christian-self-understanding-amid-many-religions.html

Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue:

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/index.htm

Institute of Science and Theology of Religions (ISTR):

http://www.ict-toulouse.asso.fr/istr/site/047.html

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The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 347 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, from the Methodist Church in Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland..

Iran-Backed Terror Group Converts Gaza into Hamastan

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Two Years after Disengagement, Iran-Backed Terror Group Converts Gaza into Hamastan

Just two years ago, Israel evacuated all 9,000 Israelis living in Gaza and four northern West Bank communities in an effort to pave the way for peace and a future Palestinian state. During the disengagement, Israel uprooted entire communities including schools, businesses, places of worship and the only Jewish cemetery there.

The only Israeli still in the Gaza Strip today is Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Cpl. Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped while patrolling the Israeli side of the Gaza border June 25, 2006. He was forcibly taken by the Iran-backed terrorist groups Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s violent militant wing; the Al-Nasir Salah al-Din Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC); and The Army of Islam. [1]

In return for this painful sacrifice, which Israel carried out Aug. 15, 2005, Gaza has been converted into a launching pad for rockets. Since the withdrawal, more than 1,500 Qassam rockets have been fired into Israel’s southern Negev region. The attacks have killed six civilians and injured hundreds more and hit areas where Gaza evacuees were relocated. [2]

Iran-backed Hamas has been chiefly responsible for the Qassam attacks, but other Palestinian militant groups also have taken credit, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Fatah party’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and the Popular Resistance Committees. These groups, along with Hamas, have continued to launch Qassam rockets and mortars at Israel on an almost daily basis since disengagement. During a particularly violent period — May 15 to May 31, 2007 — more than 300 Qassam rockets were launched from Gaza at Israel. [3]

Israelis aren’t the only victims of the Hamas leadership that Palestinians voted into power in Jan. 2006. Just last week, on Aug. 7, 2007, a Qassam rocket aimed at Israel misfired, killing two Palestinian children and injuring seven more. [4]

After Hamas was elected to run the Palestinian Authority government, infighting among the Palestinian people increased. According to the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens’ Rights, more than 600 Palestinians have been killed in infighting since Hamas’s rise to power. [5] Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the European Union, [6] the United States, [7] Israel, [8] Canada [9] and Australia, [10] openly seeks Israel’s destruction.

Overall, Palestinian internal violence has dramatically increased in the past two years. During the first seven months of 2007 alone, 415 Palestinians were killed, including 28 children, and another 2,022 Palestinians were injured – all at the hands of other Palestinians. [11]

By contrast, during all of 2006, 148 Palestinians died at the hands of other Palestinians. That included 12 children and another 871 who were injured. [12]

Israel’s Gaza Evacuees

Gaza’s Jewish residents have faced great economic and psychological hardship since being uprooted from their homes and communities:

Roughly 85 percent of families from Gaza’s former Gush Katif settlement continue to live in temporary housing scattered over 20 different locations around Israel. [13]
As many as 37 percent of evacuees are currently unemployed, according to SELA, the Israeli governmental organization created to handle disengagement.
Family incomes have plummeted 40 percent according to the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry. [14]
Since Hamas took over Gaza by force in mid June 2007, the Iran-backed terrorist group has consolidated its military and Islamic authority over the Palestinian people. Examples of Hamas’s militarily growth include:

Importing sophisticated technological weapons into the Gaza Strip; [15]
Smuggling in more than 20 tons of explosives; [16]
Increasing militant manpower to 13,000; [17]
Sending more than 20 militants to Iran for training and instructing 400 more in Gaza; [18]
Creating a naval guard force. [19]

Examples of Hamas’s Islamic authority include:

Banning “all demonstrations and public gatherings” that do not have special permission and beating up protestors; [20]
Ordering the closure of popular television programs that portrayed the problematic situation in Gaza; [21]
Kidnapping a Christian professor from Palestine University in Gaza City, Ana al-Sayegh, forcing her to convert to Islam and forging a marriage between her and a Muslim man; [22]
Forbidding women to wear bathing suits to swim in a Gaza hotel pool, even on days designated for women only; [23]
Shutting down a coffee shop where men and women sat together, sometimes touching; [24]
Producing a children’s television show in which a Mickey Mouse clone named Farfur came under international criticism for conveying messages about Islamic supremacy as well as hatred of Jews and Israel. The pressure to change or shut down the program led Hamas to produce a show in which Farfur was killed off by an actor posing as an Israeli who appeared to beat him to death. Farfur is regarded as a martyr in the episode. [25] He was replaced by a bee character who says he will “…continue on the path of Farfur, the path of Islam is the solution. The path of heroism, the path of martyrdom, the path of jihad warriors. In the name of Farfur, we shall take revenge on the enemies of Allah, the murderers of the prophets, the murderers of innocent children, until Al-Aksa will be liberated from their filth.”
Concerning the security threat posed by the current situation in the Gaza Strip, former IDF intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Aharon Ze’evi Farkash said, “When we prepared for the disengagement, we mentioned all the scenarios for what might happen in the Strip, including the possibility of a ‘Hamastan’.” [26]

The Gaza Evacuees Two Years Later: Paying the Price for Peace

Two years since Israel carried out its Gaza disengagement plan, the nearly 9,000 Israeli residents who were living in the region continue to suffer from immense psychological, physical and economic distress.

Psychologically:

Gush Katif evacuees, subject to continuing financial and social difficulties, are increasingly seeking mental and emotional support; [27]
The youth of Gush Katif are at greater risk, living in an environment of uncertainty and social and communal instability that has impaired their scholastic education, with some even dropping out of school; [28]
The divorce rate of Gaza evacuees has noticeably increased. [29]

Physically: [30]

Research at the Ashkelon Regional Health Bureau and Ashkelon’s Barzilai Medical Center has shown a notable rise in deaths among the evacuees;
Their findings also show that former residents are suffering from a significant increase in medical maladies including cancerous growths, heart problems, diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma attacks.

Economically:

Evacuees continue to be affected by a very high rate of unemployment, currently 37 percent (about 1,450 people), according to the SELA Disengagement Authority; [31]
The family incomes of former Gaza residents have decreased by 40 percent since the disengagement, according to the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry; [32]
Of the 180 nonagricultural businesses that once flourished in Gaza’s Gush Katif community, evacuees have reopened about 80 of them and most face bankruptcy; [33]
In agriculture, from which 30 percent of Gush Katif families earned a living, [34] 33 out of the 400 farmers have settled on new lands and only a few are back in business; [35]
The once successful and profitable farmers of Gush Katif, who had produced 15 percent of Israel’s agricultural exports and 70 percent of Israel’s organic produce, [36] have lost their overseas markets, buyers and distributors; [37]
Over 500 of the families are in serious financial straits, with many requiring support of welfare agencies and food packages; [38]
Due to the high rate of unemployment, many of the families are forced to use their state compensation funds for daily expenses rather than to build a house, as was intended. [39]

Housing:

85 percent of Gush Katif families, or 1,405 out of a total of 1,667, continue to live in temporary housing sites scattered over 20 different locations around Israel; [40]
The construction of permanent residences has barely begun. Fewer than 1 percent of evacuees having begun construction, resulting in a total of 12 houses. [41]

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Footnotes

[1] Ross, Gabe, “Israeli rabbi calls on Gaza Muslims to protect captive Israeli soldier,” The Associated Press , June 25, 2006
[2] Report by the Israel Defense Force Spokesman’s Office, Aug. 8 2007
[3] “Sderot hit by Kassam barrage from Gaza,” Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Web site, June 1, 2007, http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Terrorism-+Obstacle+to+Peace/Palestinian+terror+since+2000/Sderot+hit+by+Kassam+barrage+from+Gaza+-+May+2007.htm
[4] Issacharoff, Avi and The Associated Press , “Qassam rocket fired at Israel kills two children in Gaza Strip,” Haaretz, Aug. 7, 2007, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/890791.html
[5] Kfir, Isaac and Adam E. Stahl, “Hamas: A Gun in One Hand, a Qu’ran in the Other,” The Interdisciplinary Center, Herzilya, July 2007, http://www.ict.org.il/apage/14683.php
[6] “Council Decision,” Council of the European Union, Dec. 21, 2005
[7] “Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs),” U.S. Department of State Web site, Oct. 11, 2005, accessed Jan. 18, 2007, http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/fs/37191.htm
[8] Wilson, Scott, “Hamas Sweeps Palestinian Elections, Complicating Peace Efforts in Mideast,” The Washington Post , Jan. 27, 2006, accessed Jan. 18, 2006,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/26/AR2006012600372.html
[9] Public Security and Emergency Preparedness Canada, National Security, Listed entities, accessed Jan. 18, 2007, http://www.psepc.gc.ca/prg/ns/le/cle-en.asp#hhi18
[10] “Listing of Terrorist Organisations-Hamas’s Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades” Australian Government Attorney-General’s Department Web site, Jan. 17, 2006, accessed Jan. 18, 2007, http://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/agd/www/nationalsecurity.nsf/AllDocs/CADAB9AC4723C526CA256FCD001BA892?OpenDocument
[11] Kfir, Isaac and Adam E. Stahl, “Hamas: A Gun in One Hand, a Qu’ran in the Other,” The Interdisciplinary Center, Herzilya, July 2007, http://www.ict.org.il/apage/14683.php
[12] “OCHA-oPt Protection of Civilians: Summary of data tables,” United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Aug. 2007, http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/PoC%20Monthly%20tables%20and%20terminology%20notes_July2007.pdf
[13] “22 months without a home,” Gush Katif Committee Special Report, Friends of Gush Katif Web site, May 2007, http://www.katifund.org/upload/mazav%20%20eng2.pdf
[14] Eglash, Ruth and Pollack, Ahinoam, The Jerusalem Post, Aug. 1, 2007, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1185893685584&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
[15] Harel, Amos, “IDF: Hamas is smuggling high-tech arms into Gaza,” Haaretz, July 19, 2007, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/883953.html
[16] Ibid.
[17] “Israeli radio: Israel contemplating major offensive against Hamas in Gaza Strip,” Ma’an News Agency, July 19, 2007, http://maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=24119
[18] Ibid.
[19] “The interior ministry announced formation of a new naval guard force,” Izzedeen al-Qassam Brigades Web site, Aug. 9, 2007, http://www.alqassam.ps/english/?action=showdetail&fid=576
[20] “Hamas militiamen beat up Gaza protestors,” The Associated Press via The Wall Street Journal, Aug. 13, 2007, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118701300326395923.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
[21] Abu Toameh, Khaled, “Hamas bans popular TV talk show,” The Jerusalem Post, Aug. 1, 2007, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1185893691489&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
[22] Abu Tomeh, Khaled, “Hamas forced professor to convert,” The Jerusalem Post, Aug. 5, 2007, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1186066387589&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
[23] Issacharoff, Avi and Amos Harel, “Gaza vs. West Bank /Yet another last chance,” Haaretz, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/882104.html
[24] Ibid.
[25] Marcus, Itamar and Barbara Crook, “Hamas TV Mickey Mouse beaten to death by Israeli – becomes Martyr in final episode,” Palestinian Media Watch, July 1, 2007, http://pmw.org.il/bulletins_jul2007.htm#b010707
[26] Greenberg, Hanan, “IDF officials warn of Gaza threat,” YnetNews, Aug. 12, 2007, http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3436609,00.html
[27] “22 months without a home,” Gush Katif Committee Special Report, Friends of Gush Katif Web site, May 2007, http://www.katifund.org/upload/mazav%20%20eng2.pdf
[28] Ibid.
[29] Eglash, Ruth and Pollack, Ahinoam, “Two years after Gush Katif, evacuees are still suffering,” The Jerusalem Post, Aug. 1, 2007, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1185893685584&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
[30] “22 months without a home,” Gush Katif Committee Special Report, Friends of Gush Katif Web site, May 2007, http://www.katifund.org/upload/mazav%20%20eng2.pdf
[31] Eglash, Ruth and Pollack, Ahinoam, “Two years after Gush Katif, evacuees are still suffering,” The Jerusalem Post, Aug. 1, 2007, http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1185893685584&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
[32] “22 months without a home,” Gush Katif Committee Special Report, Friends of Gush Katif Web site, May 2007, http://www.katifund.org/upload/mazav%20%20eng2.pdf
[33] Ibid.
[34] Ibid.
[35] Shragai, Nadav, “Two years later, Gush Katif evacuees still need housing,” Haaretz, June 22, 2007, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/873931.html
[36] Stahl, Julie, “Gaza farmers say government has no plan for them,” Christian News Service , April 11, 2005
[37] Shragai, Nadav, “Two years later, Gush Katif evacuees still need housing,” Haaretz, June 22, 2007, http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/873931.html
[38] Ibid.
[39] Ibid.
[40] “22 months without a home,” Gush Katif Committee Special Report, Friends of Gush Katif Web site, May 2007, http://www.katifund.org/upload/mazav%20%20eng2.pdf
[41] Ibid.

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