Occupied Palestinian Territories - Humanitarian Update, September 2009

Summary of monthly Humanitarian Monitor report produced by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

SEPTEMBER OVERVIEW

September events highlight a number of ongoing protection concerns and underscore the fragility of the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). After four months of relative calm in the oPt, there was a sudden escalation of Israeli-Palestinian violence and a rise in related casualties, due mainly to clashes in East Jerusalem and increased settler violence.

In the West Bank, confrontations erupted in the Old City of Jerusalem when Palestinians attempted to stop a group of Israelis, accompanied by Israeli security forces, from visiting the Al Aqsa Mosque Compound; clashes soon spread to other areas of the city resulting in the injury of 38 Palestinians and 18 Israeli security forces. In other West Bank areas, Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians and their property resulted in 21 Palestinian injuries, most of them in one attack carried out in retaliation to the dismantlement of one settlement outpost by the Israeli authorities, which was later rebuilt. In the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces killed eight Palestinians and injured another 18. The majority of Gaza's casualties this month occurred as a result of Israeli air strikes, which included, for the first time since the "Cast Lead" offensive", the targeting of alleged Palestinian militants travelling in a car. Among this month's fatalities, there is a 14-year-old boy killed while walking with his family in the direction of the border with Israel, at over 600 metres away from the border fence.

During the month, access restrictions to East Jerusalem prevented the majority of the Palestinian Muslim population in the oPt from attending Friday prayers at Al Aqsa mosque during the holy month of Ramadan (22 August - 19 September), curtailing their right to religious freedom. Poor preparations at Israeli checkpoints along the Barrier separating East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, resulted in long queues and overcrowding.

While September saw some improvements in Palestinian movement, with the Israeli authorities' removal of 41 obstacles (primarily earthmounds), other Israeli access and movement restrictions continue to prevent Palestinian use or development of large areas of the West Bank (mostly Area C). Most of the restricted areas lie within the Jordan Valley, where access is controlled by four checkpoints; restrictions at one of these checkpoints were reimposed in September, shortly after they had been lifted.

In the Gaza Strip, following a reduction in the working days at the Kerem Shalom crossing since July 2009, and the closure of the crossing during the Muslim and Jewish holidays this month, September saw the lowest number of truckloads entered since December 2008. The lack of essential imports, including raw materials, coupled with the ongoing ban on exports, continues to hinder economic revival, contributing to unemployment levels of over 40 percent of Gaza's workforce. Although many goods are available in the market as a result of the tunnels under the Rafah-Egpyt border, most are far too expensive for the population to afford. The ban on building material imports prevents the reconstruction of thousands of homes destroyed and damaged during the last military offensive. With the winter season approaching, there is growing concern for families who continue to live in damaged homes as well concern that, with heavy winter rains, electricity shortages and poorly-functioning pumps, sewage treatment plants will overflow and cause significant damage to surrounding property and contamination of water resources.

Also in September, the UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict released its report, which found evidence of serious violations of international human rights (IHR) and humanitarian law (IHL), including acts amounting to war crimes. The Mission urged the relevant authorities to launch investigations that are independent and in conformity with international standards into allegations of serious violations of IHR and IHL. The report concluded that "the Mission is firmly convinced that justice and respect for the rule of law are the indispensable basis for peace. The prolonged situation of impunity has created a justice crisis in the oPt that warrants action." On 16 October, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution endorsing the report and its recommendations.

ISSUES IN FOCUS

The majority of Muslim Palestinians in the oPt denied access to Friday Prayers in East Jerusalem
As in past years, all of Gaza's population, in addition to over 40 percent of the Palestinian population of the West Bank, was prohibited from entering East Jerusalem for Friday prayers during the month of Ramadan (22 August - 19 September). Access for West Bank ID holders was restricted by the Israeli authorities to men over 50 and women over 45 years of age, and boys and girls under 12, who could pass without permits; men between 45-50 and women between 30-45 years of age were eligible for special permits. Access to East Jerusalem for West Bank ID holders is severely obstructed by the Barrier and is limited to only four of the 17 checkpoints installed along the Barrier (Qalandiya, Gilo, Shufat Camp and Az Zeitun). In addition, Israeli security forces and roadblocks were deployed around the Old City on each Friday during the month.

UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict
The report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict (Goldstone Report) was presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council at its 12th regular session at Geneva on 29 September. The 575-page report contained a number of specific recommendations, among others, to the Human Rights Council, the Security Council, Israel, Palestinian armed groups and the Palestinian Authority.

The report stated that the fact-finding mission had found evidence that Israel had violated international human rights (IHR) and humanitarian law (IHL) during Operation "Cast Lead", including acts amounting to war crimes. In addition, the Mission found evidence of a number of apparent violations of IHL and IHR resulting from Israeli measures implemented before "Cast Lead" in the Gaza Strip (e.g. the blockade) and in the West Bank (e.g. movement and access restrictions). The Mission also found that Palestinian armed groups had committed war crimes in the Gaza Strip. Among its recommendations, the Mission called for independent and impartial investigations to be conducted into the conduct of both parties.

On 2 October, however, the Human Rights Council decided to defer voting on the report and the recommendations until its next session, in March 2010. The delay met widespread criticism, including from civil society in the oPt, arguing that the delay was the result of political pressure on Council members, who demonstrated a lack of will to pursue accountability for serious violations of international law. Civil society groups called for members of the Human Rights Council to press all parties to commence credible investigations at once and for the Council to refer the report to the UN Secretary-General without delay. On 16 October, the Human Rights Council endorsed the report, and referred it to the UN General Assembly for consideration.

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

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