Aid agencies demand Israel lifts restrictions

THE MIDDLE EAST: International relief agencies working in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have accused Israel of obstructing their operations to point where they can "no longer adequately" deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians.

Care International, Oxfam, Medecins du Monde, the World Food Programme and the Red Cross were among 32 organisations, all members of the Association of International Development Agencies, demanding that Israel provide access to aid workers and relief supplies.

In a statement the agencies described the difficulties they face. "On a daily basis we are subjected to excessive delays at military checkpoints, inconsistent and sometimes complete refusal of access to our project sites and beneficiaries, and harassment and severe restrictions on the movements of local as well as international staff," the statement said.

Since mid-June Israeli forces have reoccupied seven of the eight major West Bank cities, isolating them and imposing round-the-clock curfews eased for a few hours to allow people to purchase supplies. This policy has prevented Palestinian from getting to their jobs. At least half a million people rely entirely on aid to survive while others have been selling off assets and cutting down on the amount and quality of food they eat. The agencies launched their appeal as the Israeli army began to gradually lift the curfew during daylight hours.

Two Palestinian security chiefs dismissed late on Tuesday have agreed to step down without challenging the Palestinian President, Mr Yasser Arafat. Their dismissal followed the adoption by the Palestinian Authority of a 100-day reform and restructuring programme launched in response to US and European calls for improvements. The head of West Bank security, Mr Jibril Rajoub, stated: "I respect this decision and I am going to carry it out." He said he had not so far received official notification but had been informed of Mr Arafat's decision by an "Arab government's intelligence service". Mr Rajoub, who said he would submit a letter of resignation once a formal notice had been issued, has been replaced by the former governor of the Jenin district, Mr Zuhair Manasra. He accepted the post on condition that Mr Rajoub and his men cooperate in hand-over. The sacked Gaza police chief, Mr Ghazi Jabali, has also agreed to step down quietly.

The local chief of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed offshoot of Mr Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, and his nephew were killed last night when a blast ripped apart their car as they drove through Gaza City, said Fatah members, who blamed the deaths on Israel.