Occupied Palestinian Territories - Humanitarian Update, April 2010

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

APRIL OVERVIEW

The month of April brought to light a range of concerns throughout the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), including the potential for the displacement of tens of thousands of Palestinians because of new military orders, an escalation in Israeli settler violence, and increasing indicators to poverty in Gaza. In attempting to meet the most pressing needs of the population, humanitarian organizations are encountering a number of access and operational challenges that limit their response and impede the effective delivery of aid.

Displacement and risk of displacement in the West Bank derive from multiple factors, including house demolitions, evictions and deportations. During the month, demolitions in Area C due to the lack of Israeli-issued building permits resulted in the displacement of seven people. In East Jerusalem, four Palestinian families (including 21 children) living in the Beit Safafa neighborhood were evicted from their homes in the context of a dispute over ownership with Israeli settlers, and two new Palestinian families in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood were served with civil eviction proceedings by a settler organization. This month, new Israeli military legislation, defining persons staying in the West Bank without an Israeli-issued permit as "infiltrators", entered into force. Under this legislation, tens of thousands of Palestinians are potentially at risk of arrest, prosecution, and deportation from the West Bank on the grounds of unclear criteria and without adequate judicial review.

Also this month, conflict-related incidents continued along the Gaza-Israel border, as did Israeli air strikes inside Gaza, resulting in the killing of four Palestinians, including one civilian, and the injury of 12 others, of whom ten were civilians. In the West Bank, one Palestinian militant was killed and 107 others injured during the period; the majority of West Bank injuries occurred during demonstrations or in the context of Israeli settler-related incidents. The number of attacks perpetrated by Israeli settlers against Palestinian property during April (26) was the highest recorded by OCHA in the last year and included, for the third time since December 2009, damages to a mosque. Some of these incidents occurred in the context of the so-called "price tag" strategy, in which settlers attack Palestinians and their property in retaliation for measures adopted by the Israeli authorities.

The deterioration of living conditions in the Gaza Strip, mainly as a result of the Israeli blockade continued to be of concern. A new poverty survey conducted by UNRWA showed that the number of Palestine refugees completely unable to secure access to food and lacking the means to purchase even the most basic items, such as soap, school stationary and safe drinking water ('abject poverty') has tripled since the imposition of the blockade in June 2007. Imports of industrial fuel designated for the Gaza Power Plant continued to decline for the fifth consecutive month, due to a lack of funds needed to purchase the industrial fuel required to operate the plant. As a result, the majority of Gaza's population experienced rolling blackouts of up to 12 hours per day, every day.

By contrast, this month Gaza saw also a major positive development, when, for the first time since June 2007 and October 2008, respectively, aluminum and wood were allowed entry for commercial purposes. Previously, limited quantities of aluminum and wood had entered through tunnels at high prices and low quality. As has been the case with the entry of glass, allowed since December 2009, the influx of wood and aluminum through the crossings will likely result in a sharp decline in prices, making such items more affordable for the population-at-large and allowing the latter to weatherproof their homes and undertake some repairs. Yet, this development is far from allowing any significant reconstruction of homes and public buildings destroyed during the "Cast Lead" offensive, or needed due to population growth.

The UN's ability to meet the current level of need in Gaza continues to be significantly impeded by the blockade, which has either prevented the implementation of planned humanitarian projects or resulted in significant delays. After months of negotiations between the UN and the Government of Israel, the UN Secretary-General was informed during his March 2010 visit to Israel and the oPt that three of the frozen UN projects in the areas of housing, sanitation and education, would be allowed to resume. While some progress was achieved regarding two of these projects (sanitation and education), the largest one, which addresses the housing needs of 151 families, has remained frozen due to delays in the clearance of the necessary imports; construction material for the project only began entering Gaza on 17 May. While the blockade has limited the ability of the UN and its partners to operate, materials smuggled in through the tunnels are entering Gaza in larger quantities, including building materials. On 11 May the Hamas authorities announced the launching of an ambitious reconstruction project, involving 1,100 houses damaged during Israel's "Cast Lead" offensive.

The UN faces similar access and operational challenges in Area C of the West Bank. In January 2010, the humanitarian community submitted a response plan designed to address the most critical needs of extremely vulnerable communities in the areas of water, education and shelter. Three months following submission of the plan, the UN and its partners have not yet received any support or response from the Israeli authorities.

The humanitarian situation in the oPt underscores the need for a lifting of the blockade on Gaza, the need for the removal of building restrictions in Area C, and the need to freeze any evictions in East Jerusalem, among others. It also requires unconditional and increased support for humanitarian and development agencies to carry out their work smoothly and efficiently. In the absence of such measures, the prospects for any improvement in the humanitarian situation diminishes and Palestinian dependency on international aid will only likely grow.

ISSUES IN FOCUS

Access issues for Emergency Medical Services
Qaher Abu Shhab, an ambulance driver for the Health Work Committees in Qalqiliya in the northern West Bank, tells of his work, conditions at checkpoints and the dangers posed by Israeli settlers. Excerpt taken from a case study and interview conducted by World Health Organisation.

The communities that are closed off by the Israeli barrier are of our greatest concern; it is difficult to provide emergency aid and basic medical care there. An example in my area of operation is Ras at Tira in the Alfe Menashe enclave. Of late, the Israeli soldiers have become somewhat more lenient towards us, but in the end our access depends on the commander at the checkpoint. Passage can get particularly difficult if the patient in the ambulance is a young man.

At the main checkpoints within the West Bank we are now normally allowed to pass after showing our papers and quickly opening the back. What bothers me is the roughened tarmac before the checkpoint that is designed to slow down the cars. I try to drive over it as carefully as I can, to avoid the ambulance vibrating violently. Nevertheless, for patients with fractures for example, this is very painful.

Woman killed under pretext of "honour"
On 12 April, a woman from the town of Beit Lahia in the northern the Gaza Strip, was killed allegedly to "maintain family honour." According to UNIFEM, this death brings the total number of documented cases of girls and women killed in so-called "honour" killings since the beginning of 2010 to eight; seven in the West Bank and one in the Gaza Strip.

Crimes committed in under the pretext of "honour" continue to represent a serious threat to women's inalienable right to life, and have not been adequately addressed by the Palestinian authorities. For example, the penal codes currently applied in the West Bank and Gaza Strip consider murders committed against women in the name of "honour" as a mitigating circumstance and allow for a reduction of the sentence against the perpetrator. This is in conflict with the protection of the fundamental right to life and with the provisions contained in the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), to which the Palestinian Authority decided to adhere through a Presidential decree in March 2009.

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

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