Occupied Palestinian Territories - Humanitarian Update, December 2009

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

DECEMBER OVERVIEW

As the year of 2009 came to a close, large segments of the Palestinian civilian population in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), in particular those living in the Gaza Strip, in Area C of the West Bank and in East Jerusalem, continued to endure a serious crisis of human dignity.

December marked one year since the start of Israel's "Cast Lead" military offensive on the Gaza Strip, one of the most violent episodes in recent Palestinian history. The operation resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,400 Palestinians and the injury of over 5,400 more as well as the deaths of 13 Israelis and the injury of 512 more. Since the ceasefires implemented on 18 January 2009, 76 additional Palestinians, including four this month, have been killed, along with one Israeli. The "Cast Lead" offensive also resulted in widespread damage to Palestinian infrastructure and public and private property. The Israeli-imposed blockade, in place since June 2007, continued throughout the year, making attempts to carry out reconstruction activities almost impossible. As of the end of the year, some 20,000 Gazans remain displaced.

While the blockade remains largely unchanged, two positive, albeit minor, developments occurred in December. First, towards the end of the month, three truckloads of glass per day began entering Gaza. The import of glass, which has been banned since the start of the blockade, was identified as a top priority to address the winter needs of thousands of families living in houses with shattered windows, as a result of the "Cast Lead" offensive. Second, a few truckloads of cut flowers were allowed out of Gaza for export to European markets, with a total of more than 39 million stems of cut flowers scheduled to be exported by May 2010, slightly less than the parallel amount in 2006.

In spite of these developments, the overall situation remains grim. Imports through the crossings during December were five percent below the monthly average since the beginning of 2009 and 81 percent below the monthly average in the first five months of 2007, before the imposition of the blockade. This, along with the near total ban on exports, have prevented any economic reactivation and maintained extreme levels of unemployment, poverty, food insecurity and aid dependency. Moreover, by the beginning of 2010, the number of crossing points for imports to the Gaza Strip had been reduced to one - Kerem Shalom, with the conveyor belt for wheat continuing to operate at Karni crossing. Of concern is the decrease in the amount of cooking gas entering into Gaza as a result of the closure of Nahal Oz crossing and the limited capacity at Kerem Shalom.

In response to the continued blockade, tunnels under the Gaza - Egypt border have flourished and become a lifeline for the population. In spite of the serious risks they pose to those building and working along them - five Palestinians were killed in December alone - their existence provides the population with goods not allowed in through the official crossings with Israel. Reports about Egyptian measures aimed at shutting down tunnel's activities have therefore raised significant humanitarian concerns.

In the West Bank, Palestinians continue to face threats to personal security from Israeli soldiers and settlers and widespread restrictions on their ability to move and to access land. While during 2009 the overall number of Palestinian injuries (937) decreased and reached the lowest level since 2005, December 2009 recorded two serious incidents: the killing of an Israeli settler by a Palestinian armed faction, and the subsequent killing of three Palestinians, suspected of responsibility for that attack, by Israeli undercover forces. Also this month, while the number of injuries during anti-Barrier demonstrations remained low, human rights groups drew attention to the rise in arrests of anti-Barrier activists, 34 of whom are currently imprisoned.

Movement between West Bank urban centers improved significantly in 2009, largely as a result of changes at a number of key staffed checkpoints. In contrast to this trend, in December, one key checkpoint in the northern West Bank has been closed for all traffic, reportedly due to road rehabilitation works, disrupting the movement of hundreds of thousands. Also this month, the Israeli High Court of Justice ruled unlawful the Israeli army's ban on Palestinian use of the West Bank section of a main road in the Ramallah governorate, however, the timing and modality for its implementation remain uncertain.

In spite of some positive developments, in 2009, Area C, which constitutes some 60 percent of the West Bank, remained off-limits for Palestinian use and development. Likewise, Palestinian families continued to face the threat of displacement as a result of eviction or demolition of their homes. While only four structures were demolished in December, a total of 189 structures were demolished in 2009, displacing 319 Palestinians. A report released in December by OCHA revealed that Palestinian construction is almost completely prohibited in 70 percent of Area C, while a variety of restrictions in the remaining 30 percent make it virtually impossible for a Palestinian to obtain a building permit. Access of Palestinian farmers to agricultural land located in the vicinity of Israeli settlements or left behind the Barrier remained particularly problematic, further reducing the already poor yield of the olive harvest that ended this month.

In East Jerusalem, Palestinians continue to face the risk of displacement, not only due to the demolition of homes constructed without permits, but also due to ongoing attempts by Israeli settler organizations to expand their presence within Palestinian neighbourhoods. In the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, which is currently the target of such attempts, OCHA estimates that some 475 Palestinians are at risk of eviction. Additionally, information released this month indicates that during 2008 the Israeli Ministry of Interior revoked the residency status of 4,577 Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, denying them their right to reside or even enter East Jerusalem.

The lifting of the blockade over Gaza, along with the freezing of demolitions and evictions, dismantlement or re-routing of the Barrier to the Green Line, the revocation of the Barrier permit regime, and the opening up of parts of Area C to Palestinian use in the West Bank, are essential steps to be taken in 2010 to improve the humanitarian situation and restore dignity to many Palestinians.

ISSUES IN FOCUS

Sharp increase in East Jerusalem ID revocations in 2008
According to data provided this month by the Israeli Ministry of Interior (MoI) to the Israeli human rights group Hamoked, in 2008 the MoI revoked the Israeli residency status of 4,577 Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem, including 99 children. This figure represents a sharp increase compared to the number of residency revocations executed by the MoI in previous years: 289 in 2007, 1,363 in 2006, and 222 in 2005. Similar figures regarding 2009 are currently unavailable. Once the residency is revoked, people lose their right to enter East Jerusalem or reside there, as well as the right to register their children as residents or to receive any social benefits.

Following the annexation of East Jerusalem to Israel in 1967, Palestinians living in the city were given Israeli identity cards. However, the vast majority of them were registered as permanent residents of Israel, as defined by the Entry into Israel Law, rather than as citizens. According to this law, the status of a permanent resident expires if a person stays for a period of seven years or more outside East Jerusalem or Israel, including in any other part of the oPt, or if he or she obtains citizenship or residency in another country, regardless of the length of the absence from East Jerusalem.

Between December 1995 and March 2000 the MoI implemented a policy by which East Jerusalem Palestinians approaching the MoI to obtain any document were requested to prove that their "center of life" was in East Jerusalem and not in any other part of the West Bank, regardless of the frequency or length of their presence/entry into the city. Those who, according to the MoI, failed to produce sufficient evidence for that, had their residency status revoked. As part of this policy the residency status of over 3,000 Palestinians was revoked. In March 2000, in the framework of a petition to the Israeli High Court of Justice, the MoI announced a return to the pre-1995 policy, under which all residents living outside East Jerusalem for more than seven years, would maintain their permanent residency status provided that they visited the city during the period in which their travel document is valid.

According to the MoI, of the 4,577 revocations in 2008, only 38 affected people had moved to other parts of the oPt (presumably to the West Bank), while all the rest of the affected Palestinians reside in other countries. The impact is likely to be particularly severe for individuals and families who were residing abroad on temporary visas that have in the meantime expired, meaning that they have now become "stateless" or without residency rights since the revocation of their status in East Jerusalem.

Concerns over new Israeli policy on visas
Implementation of the new visa policy announced by the Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) began in December. According to the policy, foreign nationals working in the oPt, including staff of international NGOs (INGOs), would be issued B2 tourist visas instead of B1 work visas as until now. Although most details of the new policy remain unclear, B2 tourist permit holders are not allowed to work in Israel. Therefore, this has created considerable concern for INGOs currently working from East Jerusalem, an area that was annexed to Israel in 1967, and could be affected by the new policy. In addition, INGO staff may experience problems accessing some terminals, such as Erez terminal to Gaza, whilst on a B2 visa. There is concern that the new constraints on the ability of INGO staff to operate may impede the implementation of humanitarian programs.

Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

© Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA 2003.

Last Modified: Wednesday, 20-Jan-2010 11:47:04 EST
This page: http://apheda.org.au/projects/mideast/news/1263947936_11565.html