GENEVA (AA) - Gaza would not be "a liveable place" by 2020 unless action was taken to improve basic services in the territory, according to a United Nations report.
UN Human Rights Council official Richard Falk said Palestinians' right to determine their own future had been postponed and denied for a long time by adding:
"With Israel's occupation, Palestinians' rights are raped repeatedly and Israel's accretion policy is eased systematically. These issues do not move peace in the Middle East forward, this recent situation should be prevented."
Gaza has no air or sea ports, and the economy is heavily dependent on outside funding and smuggling through tunnels under the Egyptian border.
Even though Gaza has experienced some economic growth in recent years, the report says it "does not seem to be sustainable" and finds that Gazans are worse off now than in the 1990s.
Unemployment was at 29% in 2011 and has risen since then, particularly affecting women and young people.
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