Israel Punishes Palestinians for Existing

We'll teach you to exist on our planet.

The Palestinian health minister on Saturday appealed to the Arab League and international community for $4.3 million to prevent "a humanitarian and health disaster."

Since Hamas won Jan. 25 parliamentary elections, the Palestinian government has grown increasingly isolated. Western nations, which list Hamas as a terror group, cut off all funding to the Palestinian Authority, and the Israeli government froze monthly transfer of $55 million it collects in taxes for the Palestinians.

Last week, Health Minister Bassem Naim predicted the Palestinian Authority's health care system would collapse in two months if funding did not resume. The Health Ministry, which runs the vast majority of Palestinian hospitals and clinics, spends about $9 million a month.

Naim, who met with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, told reporters he had asked the league and the international community for $4.3 million for health care.

The American Medical Resources Foundation, a non-governmental organization based in the U.S, said it was prepared to donate five containers of medical equipment to the Palestinians through the Arab League. The organization, which gives used medical equipment to hospitals in developing countries, made its pledge to the league in a fax provided to AP.

$4.3 million is less than 13 percent of the taxes Israel owes Palestinians monthly and a little over $1 per Palestinian according to CIA population estimates of Gaza and the West Bank, though others insist the figure is much lower.

Israel has the nerve to complain that Hamas does not recognize its "right to exist." Meanwhile, Israelis have reduced Palestinians to begging just for the opportunity to exist.