NEW YORK -- The decision by the United States, the European Union and Canada to cut financial assistance to Hamas, the winner of the recent Palestinian elections, not only disrespects the results of a clean and democratic electoral process; more ominously, it will further harm Palestinian children, already punished by the effects of the Israeli occupation. Following the 2000 intifada, Israeli government policies against Palestinians have had a marked negative effect on the Palestinian people, especially on Palestinian children's health and quality of life. A policy of widespread closures has paralyzed the Palestinian health-care system and become a form of collective punishment that makes children the main victims.

Severe disruption of health care has affected more than 500,000 children, particularly with regard to immunization programs, dental examinations and early diagnoses. The deterioration of water and sanitation services has given rise to an increase in the frequency of water-borne diseases. It is estimated that more than 50 percent of children living in Gaza suffer from parasitic infections.

A climate of violence has resulted in the deaths of 745 children since Sept. 28, 2000, while 435 remain in detention. Children's basic rights guaranteed under international conventions to which Israel is party, such as the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), are systematically violated by the Israeli government.