Occupied Palestinian Territories - Humanitarian Update, January 2010

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

JANUARY OVERVIEW

A number of incidents across the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) during January highlight the vulnerability of many herder and farming communities, most of them Bedouin, facing poor living conditions, access restrictions and/or risk of displacement.

In the West Bank, many of these vulnerable communities are located in the Jordan Valley and in the eastern slopes of the Bethlehem and Hebron governorates, where large tracts of land have been declared closed by the Israeli authorities for military training. In one such community, Khirbet Tana (Nablus), the Israeli military demolished 16 structures, including a school serving 40 children, thus displacing 100 of its 250 residents. Families living in three other communities located in "closed military zones" received eviction orders during January, placing 76 people at risk of displacement. In another Bedouin community in the Jordan Valley (Ka'abneh), the primary school was served with a stop-work order (the precursor to a demolition order), and their residents began to be required special permits in order to cross the checkpoint controlling access into Jericho city (Yitav), which is their main service center. In 2009, at least 191 structures were demolished in Area C of the West Bank, the large majority of them in "closed military zones", 20 percent fewer than in 2008.

While poor living conditions and access restrictions affect virtually the entire population of Gaza, some of its most vulnerable residents were the hardest hit by heavy January rains and subsequent flooding in Al Mughraga area: approximately 800 residents, most of them Bedouin, had to be temporarily evacuated from their homes; some 500 of their sheep and goats, as well as hundreds of chickens, perished, and many bee hives were destroyed, further undermining their livelihoods.

Recent measures adopted by the Israeli authorities significantly reduce the ability of humanitarian agencies to provide assistance to the population of, or operate from, East Jerusalem, and may contribute to its further isolation from the rest of the West Bank. Employees of NGOs are being issued tourist visas instead of work visas, which preclude them from working inside Israel. In addition, access of health workers holding West Bank-IDs to East Jerusalem hospitals deteriorated once again in January.

In the Gaza Strip, the ability to bring essential commodities was further reduced this month, due the total closure of the fuel crossing (Nahal Oz) turning Kerem Shalom into the single functional crossing for goods (except for a conveyor belt at Karni Crossing). The gradual channelling of all humanitarian shipments to Kerem Shalom since the imposition of the blockade has significantly increased the cost of humanitarian deliveries due to its location, lack of storage capacity, and requirement of the Israeli authorities to repackage containers within pallets.

Also this month, in a joint event with the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for the oPt, stated that "(t)he continuing closure of the Gaza Strip is undermining the functioning of the health care system... and causing on-going deterioration in the social, economic and environmental determinants of health".

Easing restrictions on Area C for Palestinian use and ending house demolitions in the West Bank, lifting the blockade over Gaza, and facilitating the operation of humanitarian organizations, are essential to the improvement of the humanitarian situation in the oPt and to the restoration of dignity to its population.

ISSUES IN FOCUS

Focus on "closed military zones"/"firing zones"
Since 1967, the Israeli authorities have declared some 18 percent of the West Bank "closed" for military training, or "firing zones." The large majority of these areas are located in the Jordan Valley and along the eastern slopes of the Bethlehem and Hebron governorates. Palestinian access to these areas is prohibited, as is construction, however, enforcement of the access restrictions varies and the exact boundaries of the closed areas are not clearly demarcated on the ground. Many of the communities located in the "firing zones" have lived in the areas since before their declaration as closed and report that they have never seen the Israeli military training in close proximity to their homes.

These areas have been closed under the authorities provided to the Israeli military commander by Military Order No. 378, Order Regarding Defense Regulations, originally promulgated in 1970 and since, revised multiple times. Under the order, the Israeli military commander may issue an order declaring any area closed. Persons entering or present in the closed area without permission of the military commander, unless otherwise exempted, may be removed from the area. The authority to remove a person present in a closed zone without permission does not apply to a person who is a "permanent resident of the closed area." However, as the requirements for 'permanent' residency remain unclear, many communities' attempts to be classified as such have failed.

In 2009, there was an increase in the enforcement of restrictions applicable to these areas, including the placement of signs marking "firing zones" in various Jordan Valley locales, and in evictions and demolitions affecting communities living there; over 80 percent of the Area C demolitions in 2009 occurred in areas declared "firing zones". In 2010, in addition to the displacement in Khirbet Tana, a number of other closed zone communities have been threatened with displacement:

• the community of Lifjim, southeast of Nablus city received eviction orders in January against three structures,placing 29 persons, including 23 children, at risk of displacement;
• the community of Fasayil al Fauqa (Jericho) received an eviction order targeting five tent dwellings and two animal shelters belonging to three families, placing 18 persons, including 11 children, at risk of displacement; and
• a community in the Al Jiftlik area (Jericho) received eviction orders targeting seven tents, owned by three families; four of the tents are used as residences and three as animal shelters. The orders place 29 Palestinians, including 23 children, at risk of displacement.

Many of the families residing in the "firing zones" are among the most vulnerable in the West Bank and are considered priority groups for humanitarian assistance. Most families reside in very basic structures (e.g. tents, tin shelters, etc.); they are farmers and herders, including Bedouins, and rely on access to land for their livelihoods. These families have limited access to services (such as education and health) and no service infrastructure (including water, sanitation and electricity infrastructure). In addition, they face a number of daily challenges including restricted access to grazing and agriculture land; planning and zoning restrictions that force many to build without a permit and face the risk of house demolitions; water scarcity (from drought and inequitable allocation of water resources); settler violence; and harassment from Israeli soldiers.

Some of the herding communities rely on separate seasonal residences to meet their livelihood needs. These communities will seek shelter in one place during the winter months and then move further up the West Bank slopes during summer, when temperatures become too high and vegetation too absent to support their livestock. Both of these locations are equally vital for the herding and farming communities to maintain their livelihoods.

The ongoing threat of eviction by the Israeli authorities forces families to live in a constant state of insecurity. Given the requirements of their herding lifestyle, communities feel that there are few options available to them that would enable to them to maintain their livelihoods while "legalizing" their status with the Israeli authorities. As a result, most re-locate in the same area and re-build their structures following eviction and demolition.

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

© Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA 2003.

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