Measuring Commitment to Best Practice
HRI 2008
OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES
Gaza is enduring the worst humanitarian situation in 60 years. Since the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) was democratically elected in January 2006, violently took power in June 2007 and knocked down the border with Egypt in January 2008, Israel has fortified the embargo to the point of completely closing the strip. According to a report from eight British NGOs led by Amnesty International and Oxfam, 80% of the families are dependent on humanitarian aid. Unemployment has risen to 40%, infrastructure has been seriously damaged and 95% of industrial operations have been suspended. The severity of the situation has been further aggravated as a result of the drastic increase of violence during the last few weeks of February.
The humanitarian situation in the West Bank is also worsening. The expansion of Jewish settlements and Israeli roads is taking place on Palestinian land. The building of the wall has restricted access to agricultural lands to an alarming degree. In Nablus, located in the north of the West Bank and with a population of 177,000 people, there are only two entry and exit points and traveling south cannot be done in private cars, rather in taxis, which reduces the already limited economic resources of the population.
Background information on the Occupied Palestinian Territories
• Population (2004): 3.7 million
• Human Development Index (2005): 106th out of 170 countries
• Gender-related Development Index (2005): -
• GDP per capita (2005): -
• Life expectany at birth (200?-2005): 72.9
• Infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (2005): 23
• Undernourished population (2002-2004): 16
• Population not using an improved water source (2004): 8
• Adult literacy rate (%) (1995-2005): 92.4
• Official Development Assistance (2005): -
The humanitarian crisis
• Humanitarian access. Humanitarian aid’s access to the most remote areas has been drastically reduced in recent months. The number of supply trucks has gone from 250, before the beginning of the blockade, to 45.
• Extreme poverty and food crisis. 66.7% of the population in the Gaza live in extreme poverty. Basic foods – cereals, milk, water, vegetables – are become scarce and, as a result, the prices have increased drastically. Salaries, on the other hand, have decreased and families’ buying power has diminished alarmingly. In the West Bank, the problem of accessing agricultural lands is reducing families’ economic resources as well as the diversity of their food.
• Basic services. Public infrastructure in Gaza is being severely damaged. Electricity and fuel scarcity threaten the water supply, while approximately 50 liters of residual water are dumped into the sea every day. In the West Bank, the roads between Palestinian villages and the cities are blocked off. These obstacles are preventing the population’s access to their lands, water sources and even dumps.
• Medical attention. Hospitals experience black outs up to 12 hours daily. According to the World Health Organization, the percentage of authorizations to leave Gaza in case of medical necessity has gone from 89.3% in January 2007, to 64.3% in December of the same year. A large number of general practice clinics have closed down and only do emergency surgeries. There is even a complete lack of replacement parts, which normally come from Israel, meaning that electrical medical equipment can not be repaired.
The humanitarian response
• In 2006 and 2007, donors blocked development funds for the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and increased humanitarian aid. The Paris Conference in December 2007, was a turning point in this sense, as the donors committed to provide more than seven million dollars to Ramallah.
• United Nations. The UN Consolidated Appeal requested 426,324,665 dollars. Donors contributions covered 60% of the requested amount.
• Main donors. The main donors in 2007 were the European Union, the United States and Norway.
Source: OCHA, Financial Tracking System
More information
• OCHA report, The Closure of the Gaza Strip: The Economic and Humanitarian Consequences. OCHA report that analyses the consequences of the embargo on the population in the Gaza Strip.
• UNDP report, Poverty in the occupied Palestinian territory, July 2007. Document that analyses conditions relevant for the development of Palestine.
• ICRC report, Dignity Denied in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, November 2007. Report which describes in detail the characteristics of the humanitarian crisis the population in the area is enduring.
The Occupied Palestinian Territories crisis in the HRI
DARA has included the Occupied Palestinian Territory in the HRI 2008 since it is a complex crisis where many donors are present. Furthermore, it allows for regional balance as it represents the Middle East.
Other crises assessed in the HRI 2008