And if it was, nothing is going to happen until Gilad is returned.

for blockade to be legal, it must be effective, persistent, and not selective.

-Trainer for suicide bombers -Missile developers -Teacher for the killing and hatred of the Jews ... and the monez to paz them comes from UNRWA, US, Europe Iran, Syria etc. How does Hamas earn monez in order to be an employer?

stop firing at Israeli civilians = no blockade. Simple. They can not and will not have their cake and eat it. They are pretty persistant and have done a good job at turning international opinion against Israel, but ultimately they are not going to get what they want, until they accept Israel's right to exist.

UN in whatever form is too stupid and crooked to see past its 50 year old agenda. Unregulated welfare creates do-nothing societies. This is sociial science 101. If the UN would go poof (Lord, were it only so) and it the NGOs would withdraw the money teat, there would be no unemployment.

HA HA HA HA HA ...... UNRWA the very definition of counterproductive and whose very product is counterproductivity ha..ha..ha..ha...

This report is biased and with a pre-existing agenda. While it is true that the siege isn't totally affecting Hamas, it is indeed working with Hamas finding ways to smuggle in money because they are low on cash. That was one of the driving needs that brought on the unity govt agreement. However, UNWRA, as always, has ignored the Hamas component of the Gaza problems. Namely, the high unemployment in Gaza comes from two things - a lack of businesses in Gaza, which is a direct result of Hamas' attacking crossing points with Israel, targeted the Erez Industrial Zone causing it to close down, and destroying the advanced greenhouses which could have employed many. The other thing is Hamas' declaration of war on Israel. Most Gazans worked in Israel, so once Israel cancelled the visas, of course the unemployment rate went up. Israel is not obligated to provide employment to any group, especially not one who declared Israel's existence as "illegal". What Hamas didn't do was spend money it did have to create jobs and employment. Rather, they spent the money on weapons. During a Hamas anniversary party, one Gazan was quoted as saying "why don't they build a factory instead with all of this money?" Finally, Hamas has closed down several businesses, including Internet Cafes they consider "unislamic" and farmers' fields which they use to train or launch attacks on Israel. If UNWRA is correct - then unemployment should drop considerably with the recent opening of Rafah.

Speaking about "ineffective", what has the U.N.R.W.A. been doing with the billions of dollars of aid it's been receiving the last several decades? Rather than solving the Arab refugee crisis, the U.N.R.W.A.'s obvious goal is to perpetuate it to eternity. After all, it has plenty of high living U.N. functionaries to support. The best solution is to end all funding of the U.N.R.W.A. and provide Arab refugees with financial means to relocate to other countries.

1) Israel is not responsible for Gaza Unemployment rate. Hamas/Fatah PLO governemnt rules there (even though it isArab-occupied jewish land). 2) Israel is not obliged to to continue to feed, supply electricity to an enemy that wishes to slaughter all of us. THey must laugh at us everyday..we send them money and food and supplies. 3) Look at the Gaza unemployment rate under Israel. It was much much lower! What hypocrites!

The point is that ever since the terroist organization PLO and its ilk and sister terrorist organizations were given some type of government rule, unemployment raised significantly. Terrorism and racist war does not promote productivity.

Gazan unemployment is not israels concern . Why should it be when Hamas declare their determination to see an end to the state of israel and back up words with acts of the gravest terror on israels civilian population . By anyone's book that means we are at war with gaza/Hamas yet the world demands we owe this wretched criminal entity a living . Not just a living , we are expected to keep our borders open in order to sustain them while they plot their next atrocity . Absolutely outrageous ! It's analgous to your next door Neighbour trying to burn your house down while you provide him with the petrol and your wife feeds his children at the same time . Close off all supplies through Israeli crossings giving six months notice for unwra to get its act together in order to supply through Egypt Cut the umbilical cord . It's not our problem anymore !!!!

Somebody should tell UNWRA's Chris guinness that Israel's motivation for the blockade is protection of Israeli citizens from attack by Hamas terrorists. Hamas' power in Gaza is a palestinian issue. Should Israel care more about who represents the Gazan people than protecting its own citizens? I don't think so. Terror attacks by Palestinians against Israelis is the cause of the blockade, not Israel.

The high unemployment by the Israeli blockade would have never materialized but for the fact Arabs elected Hamas to power. Now the Arabs have to face the consequences of electing a government such as Hamas to power. Second, what is Israel to do? Cease the blockade and allow for more weapons and arms and potentially face another round of Qassam rockets? I say make life so intolerable for the Arabs within Gaza that they have war weariness and cease fighting us.

just another day at the unrwa stirring the pot against israel .. anyone hear thme say a word about the rocket fire or hamas brainwashing kids in school or summer camp. to hate jews ... no you did not because the unrwa is an anti semitic pro mulsim organization who does noting to advance peace. Reality is that the unrwa is nothing more than stoogies and apologists for hamas - their delcaring the blockade not working just tells you how effecitve it must really be

stop yelling at the israelis - untill you convince hamas and Fatah factions that the must sue for real peace not just HUDNA there will never be a productive peace that will allow for the removal of israeli security measures and walls.

so called "refugees" Why would they want to see the end of the conflict?

Let's call a spade a spade. UNRWA failed to mention that Israel's blockade is denying hundreds of potential martyrs access to paradise. The number may reach into the thousands and is a serious social problem. Men (and a few women) who should have been torn to shreds are wandering around with nothing to do, hanging out in the house and making trouble, and draining Gaza's economy. Either Israel should open its borders and let them return to work, or allow them to emigrate to Pakistan or Kabul where they can find jobs.

It is doing exactly what it is designed to do, make things difficult for the civilian population. That some aid still gets in is nice. But the poverty and unemployment is the result of lack of trade. Their produce cannot exit and they cannot import in anything like a timely manner. 9 - Chaim, Israel does not have the money to buy out Gaza. Tell Egypt that you are cutting them off entirely when Rafah and the Gaza port are open for normal commerce, and Gaza will prosper as long as you don't mess in their politics or prosperity efforts. 5 - Jonathan, they might recognize your right to exist when you recognize theirs. Gilad Shalit has always been and will always be a separate issue.

I think Israel will be the one who determines the effectiveness of its blockade, not the UNRWA. Thanks anyways.

They know damn well that they are "taking care of things". Because the unemployment rate in Gaza is high that does not mean that the people want industries,agriculture and employment. They are comfortable, happy and FAT / OBESE. Anything they work for is "extras". They know how to milk the European and US cash cows. UNWRA disburses the largesse and has a mighty force for that. They should reveal how many employees are on THEIR payroll. Hamas has half and UNRWA has the other half which it lists as unemployed and the other 10% or so are self-employed. If I could get other countries to provide for all my needs, why the hell should I work! This article from UNWRA serves two purposes which have nothing to do with employment - (a) to discredit the blockade by shifting attention away from security to economy and (b) to try to impress upon Europe and the US to keep the funds flowing. The last thing they want is for Congress to block the aid that they have been receiving from time immemorial and for which there is no accountability. They should not be given a black cent until they hand up every weapon they have. If that money was invested they would have had a thriving economy and no need for blockade nor tunnels. And best of all no need for UNRWA. If the US and Europe stop funding the Pals, no need for UNRWA either. About time!!!

Useless, biased, criminal RWA is the laughing stock of the free world and will not be tolerated much longer. It will be really nice to see the US pull funding For it and they have to cut back majorly. They're anti-Semitic, terrorist supporting thugs (not to mention plain old weenies) and should be dealt with accordingly by every single Jew on earth.

employment is actually the responsibility of unrwa, which, in spite of its fancy name ("un refugee welfare agency"), is really the un's welfare agency for palestinian refugees. (it serves no other group of refugees, and it never has). the purpose of israel's blockade is to prevent weapons from reaching the terrorists in gaza, chief among them hamas, who are in a declared state of war with israel. and it has been largely successful at that. in spite of the blockade, israel allows 400 truckloads of non-military supplies through the border crossings EVERY DAY. a fact which unrwa, and the palestinian propaganda machine, conveniently forget to mention.

mr gunness should live near the border fence in israel and gaza so he would'nt look stupid & ignorant about the criminalities & terrorism of these palestinians, his bigmouth just showed his idiocy?

The purpose of the blockade is to keep out heavy weaponry, the kind that could come in on a truck or a boat. Mid and long range missiles, that sort of thing. For the most part it has been perfectly effective at doing that. One obvious exception being the anti-tank missile that Hamas fired at a schoolbus the other month. But we see very little of that and the blockade is the reason why. Jeeze, what's the UNWRA even talking about?

A lot of people are employed by UMWRA because of it

To default to Israel's "fault" on EVERY issue while neglecting to call out the Arabs on ANY issue belies a deep moral decay in the world. And now that antisemitism is "fashionable" in the faculty lounges and by what some would call the intelligentsia, the breathtaking hypocrisy of half the world, it is no longer realistic to believe in the promise of the Enlightenment. No government in the world is willing to stand up and speak the truth - it's up to each of us as individuals to stop this slide into a new Dark Age.

Whether Hamas holds power in Gaza is the business of Gazans, not Israelis. Whether the closed border is effective is to be measured according to the ability of Gazans to succeed in the goal of killing Israelis. They have killed very few indeed. It would appear the closed border has been very effective. UNRWA appears to have been measuring the wrong thing.

but UNRA only takes care of palestinians refugees. what about the SUDANIAN refugees fleed to israel. oh right, let the israelies take care of those cause no one cares they are not palestinians...