Occupied Palestinian Territories - Humanitarian Update, July 2010

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

JULY OVERVIEW

Access restrictions are among the most prominent factors influencing the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). The Barrier is the largest closure obstacle in the West Bank and a leading contributor to Palestinian loss of livelihood and access to services. The 9th of July marked the sixth anniversary of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which asserted the illegality of Barrier sections built inside the West Bank. While the ICJ recognized Israel's right to protect its citizens from attacks, it also held that Israeli security measures must be in compliance with international law. On that basis, the ICJ's advisory opinion, which was overwhelmingly reaffirmed by the UN General Assembly, concluded that Israel should freeze Barrier construction within the West Bank, revoke the associated permit regime, and dismantle or reroute existing sections to the Green Line. Six years later, the built sections of the Barrier have almost doubled, with more than 200 kilometers added. When completed, approximately 85 percent of its route will run inside the West Bank, separating Palestinian urban and rural communities from each other and from Palestinian land.

This month, OCHA and the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a new report highlighting the impact of the Barrier on access of people to health services. While specialized medical treatment for the West Bank population is available mainly at East Jerusalem hospitals, since the completion of the Barrier around the city, patients and staff (except doctors) holding West Bank IDs can reach the hospitals only by crossing one of three Barrier checkpoints, and must go through multiple layers of checks and security procedures. With long delays and overcrowding, crossing the checkpoints is a tiring and often humiliating experience. Similarly, nearly 8,000 people currently residing in the 'closed military area' between the Barrier and the Green Line must cross Barrier checkpoints to reach medical services located elsewhere in the West Bank.

For many Palestinians living in the 271 Area C communities in the West Bank, land use restrictions severely undermine access to livelihoods and adequate housing. In July, Israeli authorities stepped up demolitions in several of these communities, displacing or otherwise affecting more than 400 Palestinians. Structures demolished included homes, tents, animal shelters, barracks, water cisterns, sanitation units, shops and other commercial enterprises. In one incident, almost the entire Palestinian village of Al Farisiye in the Jordan Valley was displaced.

In July, Israeli authorities informed OCHA of the approval of six of 14 water projects included in the Area C Humanitarian Country Team Response Plan. While this is a welcome step, eight remaining water projects, as well as the education and shelter components of the Plan, urgently need approval to prevent further deterioration of an already fragile situation.

Following the 20 June Government of Israel announcement of the easing of the blockade on Gaza, the volume of imports has increased. However import of construction materials, export of goods, and movement of people to and from the Gaza Strip via Israel remain severely restricted. Additionally, access of farmers to agricultural areas up to 1000-1500 metres from the perimeter fence, as well as access of fishermen to areas beyond three nautical miles from shore remains restricted; the areas are not clearly demarcated, and access is prevented by means of Israeli military 'warning fire'. As a result, economic recovery remains stymied, home and infrastructure reconstruction remains stalled, and most of Gaza's population is isolated from the West Bank.

Despite these constraints, there was a slight improvement in the ability of people needing specialized healthcare unavailable in the Gaza Strip to seek treatment elsewhere. In July, Israeli authorities approved 83 percent of applications for permits by patients referred to hospitals in the West Bank and Israel - the highest rate in the past two years. Additionally, since the Egyptian authorities opened the Rafah Crossing in early June, the rate of patients referred for treatment in Egypt has almost doubled.

Six Palestinians were killed in the oPt in July, and 85 others, including 21 children, were injured in the context of Israeli-Palestinian violence; no Israeli casualties were reported. Gaza saw the highest number of casualties in a single month since the end of the 'Cast Lead' offensive. Some of July's incidents leading to casualties have highlighted concerns over the disregard of basic IHL norms pertaining to the protection of civilians. These include two Israeli military attacks involving the use of flechette projectiles, ammunition that explodes in midair and disperses thousands of metal darts across a wide area, resulting in the killing of two civilians and the injury of ten others, including four children. Meanwhile, Palestinian armed factions continued firing rockets and mortars towards civilian areas in southern Israel, and one rocket hit the city of Ashkelon resulting in some property damage. In contrast, the West Bank, registered the lowest number of Palestinian casualties since December 2009.
See weekly casualties report at UN OCHA Protection of Civilians database.

ISSUES IN FOCUS

Background - 'illegal' Palestinian construction
Demolitions are mostly carried out against structures that are built without Israeli-issued building permits and are thus considered 'illegal' by Israeli authorities. In the course of the last 12 years, approximately 2,450 Palestinian-owned structures have been demolished in Area C on these grounds. In Area C, more than 70 percent of land is off limits to Palestinian construction, and allocated to Israeli settlements or the Israeli military. Severe restrictions apply to an additional 29 percent. Only one percent of the land in Area C is available for Palestinian construction and development. In East Jerusalem, only 13 percent of the land is currently zoned for Palestinian construction, compared to 35 percent allocated for Israeli settlements. Because it is extremely difficult for Palestinian residents in East Jerusalem or Area C to obtain such permits, they often have no choice but to build 'illegally' in order to repair, maintain or build homes and livelihood-related infrastructure.

UNRWA's Summer Games - a positive environment for 250,000 children
Thousands of children participate in events to set two world records
As part of the UNRWA-organized Summer Games, 15,000 children gathered to break two Guinness World Records in one week this July. The 'Great Gaza Global Bounce' took place on 22 July, and featured 7,500 children meeting in the destroyed Rafah International airport attempting to break the record for the most basketballs dribbled simultaneously (the standing record was just over 3,000). A week later, 7500 children gathered on the beaches of Northern Gaza to double their own world record (set in 2009) for the most kites flown simultaneously. Guinness World Records has yet to ratify the success of these efforts but preliminary results suggest that indeed, both records were doubled.

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

© Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA 2003.

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