Occupied Palestinian Territories - Humanitarian Update, May 2010

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

MAY OVERVIEW

After three years of blockade, the Gaza Strip continues to suffer from a severe human dignity crisis characterized by high food insecurity rates, high dependency on foreign aid, a 'locked in' civilian population, and 'de-development' of key sectors such as agriculture, health, and education. This month, the impact of the blockade drew broad international attention, as a flotilla carrying humanitarian assistance was intercepted by Israeli forces at sea and nine international activists were killed. The UN Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), John Holmes, condemned the waste of life and called for the flotilla 'disaster to be the occasion for the collective punishment of the people of Gaza to be lifted once and for all.'

Large-scale building and reconstruction, including the expansion and upgrade of houses and public infrastructure remain at a standstill in Gaza. Other effects of the blockade can be seen across multiple sectors: inadequate materials needed for the agricultural and fishing industries, along with access restrictions on much of Gaza's farming and fishing areas, have brought these industries to the brink of collapse. Daily electricity cuts continue for most of Gaza's population, and have been further exacerbated by a six-month decline in imported industrial fuel due to a funding crisis. Access to the outside world remains negligible for the area's 1.4 million inhabitants, as the Rafah and Erez crossings are mostly limited to humanitarian cases, students studying abroad, and foreign-passport holders; this month 13 percent of all medical patients referred to hospitals abroad were denied permits to exit through Erez crossing, a sharp increase from the rate of denial in the previous 11 months (average two percent of the total applicants).

Healthcare in Gaza has been affected by a depletion of essential drugs to the lowest levels seen since June 2007, due to internal coordination difficulties between the authorities in Gaza and Ramallah as well as difficulties getting clearance for items to enter Gaza; the treatment of patients suffering from bleeding disorders, certain types of cancers, kidney failure, and some infant allergies, is expected to be severely affected.

Access and movement restrictions are among the main factors affecting living conditions in many parts of the West Bank. In May, the Israeli authorities announced a number of measures that may ease movement of Palestinian traffic between West Bank towns and cities. In addition, with the completion of the rerouting of a section of the Barrier in the Qalqiliya governorate following a 2005 ruling by the Israeli High Court, the Israeli military removed the infrastructure of the previous Barrier, thereby reconnecting three communities with the rest of the West Bank, and increasing their access to services and livelihoods. However, despite these improvements, close to 8,000 Palestinians still live in closed areas behind the Barrier and must obtain Israeli-issued permits to continue living in their homes; this month, the Israeli authorities refused to renew the permits of twelve members of a community located behind the Barrier in south Hebron, effectively forcing them out of their homes.

Access to education has been undermined for hundreds of thousands of Palestinian students by widespread classroom shortages throughout the oPt. In Gaza, because of restrictions on the entry of construction materials, new schools cannot be built, and there is an acute shortage of classrooms in both UNRWA and government-run schools; UNRWA immediately requires 15 additional schools to accommodate its growing student population. In the West Bank, the classroom shortages are a direct result of inadequate planning afforded to the Palestinian population living in East Jerusalem and in Area C: at least 20 schools are being prevented from expanding their facilities in Area C, and according the Association for Civil Rights in Israeli (ACRI), the post-elementary dropout rate is 50 percent for Palestinian children enrolled in municipal schools in East Jerusalem.

The protection of civilians, particularly along Gaza's border with Israel and in West Bank areas in the vicinity of Israeli settlements, is of increasing concern. In May, four Palestinians were killed, and 122 Palestinians and 21 Israelis were injured across the oPt. Gaza had the highest Palestinian casualties reported in a single since the end of the 'Cast Lead' offensive. Most of Gaza's casualties were unarmed civilians, including a 75-year-old civilian who was shot and killed by Israeli forces while visiting the grave of his wife, and 38 other civilians were injured, including 31 due to collateral damage from an Israeli airstrike targeting a Hamas training facility. In the West Bank, nearly 40 percent of the Palestinian casualties occurred in incidents involving Israeli settlers, including the killing of a 15-year-old Palestinian boy in the Ramallah district. The number of reported settler-related incidents resulting in either Palestinian casualties or property damage in the first five months of 2010 is more than twice the average of such incidents during equivalent periods in the previous four years.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

SHIP CARRYING CARGO INTERCEPTED BY ISRAELI FORCES; NINE CIVILIAN ACTIVISTS KILLED
In the early morning of 31 May, Israeli naval commando forces intercepted six ships carrying hundreds of international activists and tonnes of aid to Gaza, while sailing in international waters. While the full details of events remain unclear, at least nine activists were killed and many others injured when Israeli military units attempted to take over one of the ships; ten Israeli soldiers were also injured. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon expressed shock at the killings and injuries and called for a full investigation of the incident; the call was echoed in a UN Security Council presidential statement.

After holding hundreds of activists in detention for up to four days, all the activists have been deported to their countries of origin. Goods carried by the flotilla included cement, generators, wheelchairs, medicine, clothes and blankets, and toys. While the Israeli authorities declared their intention to transfer the goods to Gaza, the coordination needed for transferring these goods has not yet taken place and none of them had actually entered Gaza as of the end of the reporting period.

ISSUES IN FOCUS

Medical students facing difficulties accessing East Jerusalem for training
About 150 students in the fourth, fifth and sixth year of studies at Al Quds medical school are trained at East Jerusalem hospitals in medical specialities such as paediatrics, neonatology, cardiology and internal medicine. Medical training in many of these specialities is not available at the same level elsewhere in the oPt.

As some 90 percent of these students hold West Bank ID cards they must obtain Israeli-issued permits to access East Jerusalem. According to Maqassed hospital, which handles permits for medical personnel at all six East Jerusalem hospitals, four students were refused permits in May 2010, three new applicants and one renewal.

According to Al Quds medical school, so far in 2010, there have been eleven students who have been unable to continue their training in East Jerusalem because of the non-renewal of their the Israeli authorities have refused to renew their permits.

Case study of a medical school student: "I was asked to spy if I wanted to study"
A student at Al Quds medical school told WHO that he cannot continue his medical training at an East Jerusalem hospital as his permit was confiscated by the Israeli military.

As part of my studies at Al Quds medical school in Abu Dis, I have been doing my training at an East Jerusalem hospital in the last two years. Being a Palestinian from the West Bank, I need a permit to enter Jerusalem. I never had any problems getting a permit. This spring, however, a soldier confiscated my permit at a checkpoint. I was told that I had to see the General Security Service, if I wanted to get it back.

When I finally got an appointment a few weeks later, the Shin Bet officer told me: "If you help us, we will help you". They asked me to inform them on my colleagues' activities, in particular any travels abroad. In other words, I was asked to spy if I wanted to study. I refused and as a result, I did not get my permit back.

While I can do my training in Hebron, for example, this has severe implications on the quality of my studies. The East Jerusalem hospital I worked at had half a dozen professors in my specialization. In Hebron there is only one. There is also much less interaction between students, because there are far fewer students per hospital in the West Bank.

When I finish my undergraduate studies at Al Quds medical school in a bit over a year, I want to go to the US for my specialization. My diploma is recognized in the US, UK, the Arab world and many other countries. Israel, however, refuses to recognize our qualifications.

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

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