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Update on the Situation in the Palestinian Territories
Report From the Department of Service to Palestine Refugees of the Middle East Council of Churches
The reoccupation of the West Bank by Israel during the past several days has led to increased
misery, wanton destruction, scores of Palestinians killed and injured besides dealing a possible
mortal blow to an already severely recessed local economy. Unemployment and poverty have
reached unprecedented levels. Almost 1.5 million Palestinians live below poverty line according
to the World Bank recently published assessment: (Fifteen Months - Intifada, Closures and
Palestinian Economic Crisis: An Assessment World Bank, March 18, 2002.)
According to the World Bank Assessment, the most affected among Palestinians are the poor.
They are more vulnerable because of their living conditions and because they live in areas more
susceptible to the impact of closure, specifically in Southern Gaza and in the more remote
villages of the West Bank. From 21% of the population categorized as poor in September 2000
to up to 50% so categorized by the end of 2001. Two-thirds of persons who have become poor
since October 2000, "the new poor", are in the Gaza Strip almost half in Gaza City and Khan
Yunis. In the West Bank the largest concentration of the new poor are in the Hebron area while
Ramallah and Bethlehem comprise 5% of the new poor, thus having relative advantage over the
inhabitants of the more remote areas.
There is a major humanitarian, social, economic and political crisis going on in the Palestinian
Territories at this moment. Various sources, including the World Bank, attributes the recession
in the economy and its adverse effects on the population on the fact of hermetic closures
imposed by the Israeli occupation forces on the Palestinian population. There are between 65
and 80 Israeli military roadblocks that divide the West Bank into innumerable zones that cannot
be traversed by the population as it is going on its daily chores and preoccupations. The Gaza
Strip, meanwhile, is divided into four major parts with more serious delays and difficulties in
reaching the Southern part of the Strip.
With the ongoing military reoccupation of West Bank towns and cities, the population is held
virtually prisoners in their own homes without access to basic amenities and supplies. Often, this
is accompanied by tragedies that leave innocent women, children, youth and older people dead
or seriously injured, with no possibility for quick evacuation or even proper and timely burial
because of the refusal of the Israeli occupation army to allow for such acts. Appeals have been
issued for emergency humanitarian aid, for help with the injured and the dead and for the
provision of basic food supplies and commodities. In the past 18 months, The Department of
Service to Palestine Refugees (DSPR) of the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) has
reached thousands of families in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip with basic food
commodities and with supplies of medicines together with some help in rehabilitation of the
injured.
There is a serious concern by many in the NGO community and in Palestinian civil society that
the results of the latest Israeli military activities would lead to a complete breakdown in the
infrastructure of health, education, social service and other elementary services required by the
population particularly in this hour of great need. While the exceptional increased donor funding
to the Palestinian Authority during 2001 prevented the complete breakdown of the economy, the
reoccupation of the West Bank and the mortal blows received by the various governmental
institutions and infrastructure may eventually lead to an irreversible breakdown, in the medium
term. In order to understand the magnitude of the crisis, it is appropriate to mention that the
Gross National Income Losses suffered by the Palestinian economy reached $2.4 billion US
dollars by the end of 2001. The average per capita real income has dropped to 30% below what
it was when Gaza-Jericho Agreement was signed in 1994. The World Bank report, quoted
above, warns that if the current situation of closure, not to speak of reoccupation, continues then
the Palestinian economy would revert to subsistence agriculture, petty trade and workshop
manufacture. This would be accompanied by deepening poverty particularly in isolated
communities with serious health and environmental problems. Needless to say this all would
contribute to feelings of helplessness, deprivation and hatred among Palestinians.
This gloomy and bleak picture necessitates coordinated efforts and plans to confront the
deteriorating situation, in addition to providing immediate emergency relief. Among the steps
the MECC partners should consider is how to contribute to maintaining the Basic Services
especially in the education and health sectors. What can NGOs do to encourage programs and
activities that would lead to the creation of jobs and other employment possibilities in
infrastructure and land rehabilitation? And in the likelihood of a breakdown in private schools
and universities, due to inability of parents to pay school fees, what plans for student
scholarships and/or loans could be worked out in order to expedite the return to normal
activities, when this becomes possible. Certainly reconstruction and rehabilitation of the
Palestinian economy and society would be a long and tedious process. May be it is not the time
to speak about it now but the situation calls on all of us to think together of how best the NGOs,
both local and international, together with Churches, CROs and other partners and concerned
bodies should prepare themselves for the medium term while attending to the wounds and
frustrations of the present moment.
Dr. Bernard Sabella
Executive Secretary
DSPR/MECC Central Office
Jerusalem
April 4, 2002
Date posted:
Apr 05, 2002
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