• by Thalif Deen (united nations)
• Monday, January 12, 2009
• Inter Press Service

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who admits he is 'very frustrated and deeply anguished' about the grave military and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, is leaving on a grim peace mission to the Middle East, including visits to Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Kuwait.

But the ultimate success of his weeklong visit will depend on whether or not he can persuade both the Israelis and Hamas to implement last week's Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire to end the three-week-old fighting.

'In the name of humanity and international law,' both warring parties must observe the resolution, Ban told reporters Monday on the eve of his trip.

Asked how he plans to help implement the resolution in the face of defiance by both parties, he said he was talking to countries, including the United States, Egypt, Syria and Turkey, who can help influence the Israelis and Hamas.

'The Security Council resolution is binding -- and all member states should comply,' he added.

However, an Arab diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told IPS that Hamas was not identified by name in the resolution, nor is it a member state, or even 'recognised' by the United Nations.

'If Israel, a member state, is unwilling to abide by the resolution, how can you expect Hamas, which has no standing at the U.N., to comply?' he asked.

Asked whether he was willing to talk to Hamas, which has a democratically elected government in Gaza, Ban ducked the question.

'As secretary-general, I deal with internationally-recognised Palestinian leaders,' he said, referring to Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), who is recognised by the United States, Israel and the European Union as the legitimate leader of the Palestinians.

The PNA, which was established in 1994, oversees the administration of the West Bank, the second half of the Israeli-occupied territories.

Describing the gravity of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Ban said more than 900 Palestinians have died and about 4,000 more have been injured.

'They have no place to hide, no place to run,' said. 'It is tragic and heartbreaking to see so many civilians killed and suffering.'

In contrast, the Israeli casualties have been around 10 to 12, according to published reports.

Asked if he would like to visit Gaza, Ban would only say he would meet with his senior officials based there, and who are overseeing the U.N.'s humanitarian operations.

The Israelis, who barred U.N. human rights expert Richard Falk from visiting Gaza last month, are unlikely to permit the secretary-general to take a tour of the occupied territories -- if and when he makes a request.

Ban said he was awaiting a response from Israel on a proposal to send an independent investigating team to probe the bombing of a U.N. compound where about 40 Palestinians died last week.

Meanwhile, John Ging, director of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza, told reporters Monday that more than 40 percent of the nearly 900 Palestinians killed in the Israeli offensive were women and children.

After a visit to the over-burdened Al Shifa hospital in Gaza, he said: '(It) is the place of course where you see the most horrific human consequences of this conflict.'

'Among the tragic cases that I saw were a child, six years of age, little or no brain activity, people don't have much hope for her survival; multiple amputee another little girl; and a pregnant woman who had lost a leg.'

Ging said the sense of fear in Gaza 'was all pervasive among a battle-hardened population of 1.5 million that had already seen many years of conflict.'

'In my three years here I have never witnessed anything like the scale of fear that is there. We have to recognise that there's no safe place in Gaza and that continues to be the case and the casualty figures speak to that,' he added.

Ging said 35,000 Gazans had fled their homes for 38 UNRWA shelters, and many more had sought refuge with relatives.

Responding to a question, he said there was no evidence that Shifa hospital was being used by Hamas and reiterated his call last week for an independent investigation.

The secretary-general told reporters that the United Nations has about 10,000 staff on the ground overseeing humanitarian operations.

'I want my visit to be a tangible expression of support for their work under the most difficult and dangerous circumstances,' Ban said.

'I salute their bravery and their dedication to the U.N.'s mission,' he added.

© Inter Press Service (2009) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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