Hamas Urges WB workers not to strike

There's plenty of donors and there is already around 50 million $ set aside
just for construction and repair costs for infrastructure and housing.

The problem is that we ( Olmerts government and the IDF ) are interfering
with the shipment of building supplies. We also took out the power and half
the water facilities from the air. Unemployment is 78% in Palestine as of
today. Every one in Palestine is in debt up to their ears. The temperature
has been in the neighborhood of 35-40 degrees C for weeks. How they
manage to keep their courage and how they will ever forgive us when we
finally find our humanity is a mystery to me. It reminds me of stories I heard
from my teachers about the Warsaw ghetto.

Bismillah,


	Posted on Thu, Aug. 31, 2006

	Thousands without pay protest in West Bank Rallying in Ramallah, they demanded pay and won Abbas' backing for a major strike next week. By Mohammed Daraghmeh Associated Press RAMALLAH, West Bank - Thousands of angry civil servants turned up the pressure on the beleaguered Hamas-led Palestinian government yesterday, marching to demand payment of overdue wages and winning Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' blessing for a major strike next week. As the Palestinians' internal tensions simmered, fighting intensified between Gaza extremists and Israeli troops searching for smuggling tunnels and explosives. At least eight Palestinians were killed in air strikes and gun battles near Gaza City. Visiting U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for an end to the fighting in the coastal strip, which has killed more than 200 Palestinians since it began two months ago. He also demanded that Israel open Gaza's crossing points. "This must stop immediately," Annan said. "I have made my feelings known in talks with Israeli officials." The planned civil-service strike, an indication of the growing confrontation between Abbas' Fatah party and the Hamas-led government, would plunge Gaza and the West Bank deeper into chaos. The strike threat gives Abbas greater leverage in negotiations with Hamas over formation of a unity government. Hamas has been unable to pay full salaries to 165,000 government employees - including about 40,000 teachers and 85,000 members of the security forces - since an international aid freeze was imposed on the Palestinian government in March, when Hamas came to power. Hamas, considered a terrorist group by Israel, the United States, and the European Union, has refused to accept Western conditions for restoring aid, including recognizing Israel and renouncing violence. About 3,000 government employees marched through Ramallah yesterday to demand their salaries. The civil servants' union, which represents tens of thousands of teachers and health-care workers, has said it will launch an open-ended strike next week. Hamas says the strike is aimed at destabilizing the government and called on teachers to ignore it. "Calls for a strike are an attempt to exploit the suffering of our brothers," Hamas said in a statement.

http://www.philly.com

Al-Hamdulillah (From a Married Muslimah) La Howla Wa La Quwata Illa BiLLah - There is no Effort or Power except with Allah's Will.