The World Food Crisis in the Palestinian Context: Rising Prices under Occupation and a Call to Action

As the heads of states meet with the Secretary General in Rome this week to discuss world food security in the light of climate change and bioenergy, Palestinians are experiencing a different dimension of the food crisis. Food is of the most basic of all human rights, and in much of the Palestinian context, is being systematically denied to civilians.

Our partners in the West Bank and Gaza recently released a call to action, which we have reproduced here. We have also posted a copy of the open letter to the conference organizers referenced below.

The Center for Democracy and Workers Rights (DWRC) will be making a contribution to the High Level Conference on the World Food Security: the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy in the form of an open letter directed to the organizers of the conference, various heads of state who will be in attendance, and Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon. The conference was organized as a result of the recent thirty-fourth session of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Conference, held during November 2007, which called for a series of expert meetings and stakeholder consultations on climate change and bioenergy, to be followed by a High-Level Conference on World Food Security and the Challenges of Climate Change and Bioenergy.

DWRC asks for your solidarity in bringing the particular circumstances of the food insecurity problem in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to the attention of the organizers of this conference, which will be held in Rome, Italy on the 3rd–5th of June, 2008. We are sure that you are well aware that world food insecurity in light of the impact of climate change may be one of the biggest challenges we face in this century. For Palestinians, global food insecurity challenges are further complicated by the affects of Israeli occupation.

Attached, you will find a copy of the open letter addressing the particular plight of the Palestinian people in regards to the consequences of the current global food crisis, including how Israeli occupation has shaped the food insecurity issue within the Palestinian Occupied Territories. We ask that you please help us through widespread distribution of this letter, posting it on your websites, or distributing it to your members.

DWRC is most appreciative of your efforts to bring further attention to the unique situation facing the Occupied Palestinian Territories within the framework of the consequences of the global food crisis.

Sincerely,
Dr. Hamdi Al Khawaja
Coordinator of GCAP -Palestine Coalition