In Gaza and the West Bank, a powerful feeling of paralysis pervades. Peter Maurer, the ICRC president, who visited Israel and the occupied territories last week, said: “Witnessing these situations profoundly affected me as a father and as a human being. Every responsible political decision must be made bearing in mind the effect it has on the lives of ordinary people. It was a sobering experience for me to return after three years to see that things have only changed for the worse.”

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