Occupied Palestinian Territories - Humanitarian Update, November 2009

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

NOVEMBER OVERVIEW

House demolition and displacement incidents affecting East Jerusalem continued to be of concern in November. While no demolitions of Palestinian structures have been recorded since mid-July in Area C, demolitions in East Jerusalem continued during the month; ten Palestinian-owned structures were demolished due to lack of building permits, displacing 3 people, including 41 children.

Tensions remain high in Sheikh Jarrah as Israeli settler organizations intensify their efforts to take control of land and property and establish a sustained presence in this Palestinian residential neighbourhood. In November, settlers took over the uninhabited part of a Palestinian home in Sheikh Jarrah: although this proved temporary, they returned on 1 December and appear to have established another foothold in the area. In another part of Sheikh Jarrah, a Palestinian family of four evacuated the house they were renting, following an eviction order issued by the Israeli authorities.

Also in November, the Jerusalem municipality approved the construction of 900 new housing units in Gilo, a settlement established on West Bank land and unilaterally incorporated into the extended Jerusalem municipal boundary and annexed by Israel following the onset of the occupation in June 1967. Of particular concern, East Jerusalem is excluded from the partial, temporary freeze on new settlement construction, which Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, announced in late November.

Concerning access, the Israeli authorities continue to implement measures to improve the freedom of movement between most Palestinian urban centres in the West Bank. However, as demonstrated by OCHA's November Movement and Access update, Palestinian access to land in large areas of the West Bank, especially the Jordan Valley and the closed areas between the Barrier and the Green Line (the "seam zone"), remains for all intents and purposes off-limits to Palestinian use and development. In addition, Palestinian access to the Israeli-controlled area of Hebron City (H2) and East Jerusalem continues to be severely restricted, with the majority of permanently-staffed checkpoints in the West Bank restricting access to these urban centres.

In Gaza, as winter approaches there is increasing concern for the families whose homes were destroyed or damaged as a result of the "Cast Lead" military offensive. The continuing blockade has resulted in negligible reconstruction and repair, as essential materials continue to be denied entry: thousands of families continue to live in homes without window panes or solar panels due to the ban on the import of glass.

The general decline in the amount of goods allowed entry through the official crossings continued during the month, caused in part by the gradual closing of Nahal Oz and the Karni conveyer belt and the increased reliance on Kerem Shalom crossing, which has insufficient capacity, for the passage of all goods. With winter approaching, of particular concern, is the limited quantity of cooking gas allowed entry during the month, approximately 1,200 tons, far below the 5 - 7,000 tons required to meet Gaza's monthly needs, including for heating and cooking.

Continuing restrictions on access to arable land in the 'Buffer Zone' and to fishing areas beyond the current three-nautical-mile limit continue to undermine Gazan livelihoods and contribute to ongoing food insecurity. The damaging extent of food insecurity facing the Gaza population was demonstrated this month in a new UN survey issued in November with findings that over 60 percent of Gaza's population are currently food insecure and an additional 16 percent are vulnerable to food insecurity. According to the report, food insecurity in the Gaza Strip is primarily due to the high levels of poverty resulting from restrictions imposed by Israel in the course of its blockade, rather than the lack of food in the market.

On 30 November, the 2010 Consolidated Appeal was launched globally in Geneva. United Nations humanitarian agencies, along with international and national non-governmental organizations operating in the oPt, appealed for US$664.4 million to fund 236 humanitarian assistance programmes in 2010. Through the CAP, humanitarian agencies will continue the important work of mitigating the worst impacts of the human dignity crisis facing Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. As many of the events reported above indicate, it is a crisis characterized by the erosion of livelihoods, the denial of basic human rights and a forced dependency on international aid that affects all aspects of the daily life of Palestinians. The residents of the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem and Area C of the West Bank, including those living in areas near Israeli settlements and in Barrier-adjacent areas, have been identified as priority populations in need of humanitarian assistance and protection.

ISSUES IN FOCUS

Israeli Prime Minister announces limited settlement freeze
In late November, the Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, announced a partial freeze on new residential housing construction in West Bank settlements, excluding East Jerusalem, to last for a period of 10 months. The freeze will not affect construction currently underway, nor will it affect "schools, kindergartens, synagogues and public buildings." The announcement met with criticism from Israeli settler groups and there were a number of incidents reported in the Israeli media where settlers prevented, or attempted to prevent, Israeli Civil Administration inspectors from entering settlements in order to monitor settlement activity and distribute stop-work orders Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was subsequently quoted in the Israeli media indicating that the freeze is a "one-time, temporary" move and that construction would resume once the 10 month period has expired. In the context of settlers' objections to the freeze, Israeli media reported that the Israeli military is worried about possibleattacks on Palestinian communities.

Gaza's "buffer zone"
In October, Save the Children UK released findings of a survey conducted earlier in the year indicating that Gaza's border with Israel, commonly called the "buffer zone" (or no-go area) faces both more serious protection concerns and more significant loss of livelihoods than the rest of Gaza. Although the Israeli military officially indicated the boundary of the no-go area to be 300 metres from the border, in practice, it extends up to one kilometre in most areas and up to two kilometres at its widest point in North Gaza. Only nine percent of surveyed families living in or near the "buffer zone" said they felt safe and secure, compared with 55 percent outside of the area. Since the end of Israel's "Cast Lead" offensive in January 2009, six civilians have been killed and 21 others injured in incidents involving Israeli gun and tank fire in areas near the "buffer zone". Four of the fatalities and at least five of the injured were children. While it remains unclear how much agricultural land has been destroyed by repeated military incursions within the area of the "buffer zone", according to FAO, the "buffer zone" makes up approximately 30% of all arable land in the Gaza Strip.

Patient dies while waiting to exit Gaza
A.A, 51 years old, suffered from bronchial tumors since March 2009. On 5 May 2009, he was granted referral to Nasser Institute Hospital in Egypt. At the time, his brother was denied entry to Egypt and he had to cross alone. The hospital refused to admit him for overnight stay; after administering his chemotherapy doses, he was asked to leave. He stayed in a nearby hotel and commuted to the hospital, but with no one to assist him or help him go to treatment, he could not cope. After his condition deteriorated further, he decided to return to Gaza. His family tried to obtain another referral to Egypt, this time placing his wife as a companion, but he died on 3 November 2009 before he was able to receive proper medical treatment. He is one of 26 Gazan patients who have died in 2009 while waiting to exit Gaza to receive medical treatment.

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

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