http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Editorial/2012/Dec-20/199197-global-crime.ashx#axzz2FtGeVPRu
Global crime December 20, 2012 01:15 AM The Daily Star Many people around the world have become familiar with the horrors of the war in Syria, and one of the most newsworthy items recently has involved the question: “Should the international community arm the Syrian rebels?” Several complicated political and other considerations come into play, perhaps explaining why the world has yet to speak with one voice. But one could also ask the question, “Should the international community provide humanitarian aid to the Syrian people?” The answer would be a resounding yes, but there are few explanations for the weak response. According to the United Nations, more than 2.5 million Syrians inside the country require assistance, while around half a million refugees have fled, and registered as refugees in host countries. Uncounted thousands of others have also left and sought temporary residence in a variety of countries, as they rely on their savings and other means to avoid destitution. International organizations have pointed out that efforts to help people inside Syria have broken down, due to the lack of access. Ban Ki-moon, the head of the United Nations, has appealed for $1.5 billion in funding to address the crisis, but this isn’t necessarily encouraging, based on previous experience with the Palestinians. UNRWA, the international body tasked with aiding Palestinian refugees, has suffered from a chronic deficit, and protests against the shortfall of UNRWA funds are a regular, depressing phenomenon in places such as Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories. The U.N. might announce that a given sum of money has been pledged to help Syrians in need, but there is no guarantee that the actual funding will match the large sums of money that are promised. The media has reported with depressing frequency that Syrians who line up to buy bread in a number of towns and cities have been subject to aerial or other attacks – even when food is available, merely obtaining it can be a life-threatening exercise. Hunger has become rife in some parts of the country, such as Aleppo and Deir al-Zor. In Lebanon, several dozen confirmed cases of tuberculosis have broken out among Syrian refugees. Refugee camps on the northern border with Turkey, and the southern border with Jordan, have been characterized by life-threatening conditions. Syrian children have died due to severe cold in Jordan, and the camps in Turkey are straining its ability to cope. Tens of thousands of Syrian children have been deprived not only of schooling and a stable family life, but also of the essential means to survive from one day to te next. The failure to act immediately and decisively to get help to those who need it will only confirm the suspicions of many Syrians who believe that their very society is being targeted, whether through too much meddling, or too little action. A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Daily Star on December 20, 2012, on page 7 (The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
