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UNITED NATIONS Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs occupied Palestinian territory l Halabi/OCHA, 2011. l Halabi/OCHA, e Gaza,M FRAGMENTED LIVES oPt HUMANITARIAN OVERVIEW 2011 COOrdinOCHAAtiOn SAveS LiveS MAY 2012 P. O. Box 38712 East Jerusalem 91386 l tel +972 (0)2 582 9962 l fax +972 (0)2 582 5841 l [email protected] l www.ochaopt.org Scan it! with QR reader App Foreword Over the years, OCHA has produced reports on the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). These have been based on thematic concerns – movement and access restrictions, forced displacement, the Barrier – or geographically-specific issues – Gaza, Area C, East Jerusalem. Fragmented Lives: Humanitarian Overview2011 represents a new approach to the humanitarian situation in the oPt, in that it brings together the key concerns oPt-wide in one document. These reflect the advocacy priorities identified by the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), the main humanitarian coordinating body for UN agencies and NGO partners in the oPt. Overall, the HCT considers the situation in the oPt to be a protection-based crisis, resulting from ongoing conflict and occupation, a lack of respect for international law, a near complete absence of accountability and a system of system of policies that severely undermine Palestinian communities to live normal, self-sustaining lives. Were these factors removed, Palestinians have all the capacity, organisation, training and motivation to develop their economy and lives free of large scale humanitarian interventions. In 2011, the main advocacy priorities to address the above mentioned-concerns were Accountability & Third State Responsibility; Life, Liberty & Security; Forced Displacement; Movement & Access; and Humanitarian Space. The report is structured around these priorities, with the question of accountability addressed throughout the report. In addition, concerns related to the main clusters – Health, Education, WASH and Food/Livelihood – are detailed in separate chapters. Most of the information presented here has been reflected in other OCHA documents and products. The Way Forward sections identify the immediate and longer-term actions which need to be implemented, primarily by the Government of Israel, to improve the humanitarian situation and to remedy the protection concerns. It is planned to update the report on an annual basis and provide relevant indicators to enable the humanitarian community to monitor trends and developments in the oPt for advocacy purposes and to track developing humanitarian trends. I hope that the Humanitarian Overview will serve both as a practical advocacy tool and a comprehensive overview or ‘snapshot’ of the humanitarian situation in the oPt in a given year. As such, it should be of use not only for the humanitarian community but for all who are concerned with finding a durable solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Maxwell Gaylard United Nations Deputy Special Coordinator & United Nations Resident / Humanitarian Coordinator 2 Fragmented lives | Humanitarian Overview 2011 May 2012 Executive Summary The 2011 Humanitarian Overview enforced by Israeli authorities. In addresses the key advocacy 2011, both the number of structures ‘Palestinians are utterly frustrated priorities identified by the demolished (622) and the number by the impact of israeli policies on Humanitarian Country Team of persons displaced (1,094) in the their lives. they can’t move freely (HCT), the main humanitarian West Bank was the highest since around their territory. they can’t coordinating body for UN agencies OCHA started collecting statistics plan their communities. they are and NGO partners in the oPt. The systematically in 2006. In the West evicted from their homes. their report identifies the following Bank, including East Jerusalem, homes are regularly demolished. trends in the main priority areas: home demolitions are the direct i don’t believe that most people cause of most displacement. in israel have any idea of the way Life, Liberty and Security However, a combination of other planning policies are used to divide and harass communities and Palestinian civilians throughout factors, including the revocation families. they would not themselves the oPt face threats to their life, of residency rights, settler like to be subjected to such security and property as a result violence, movement restrictions, behavior.’ of policies and practices relating and restrictions on planning and to the ongoing occupation, as zoning and access to services United Nations Under-Secretary- well as intermittent outbreaks of and resources, contribute to the General for Humanitarian Affairs, hostilities. Overall, 2011 witnessed displacement of Palestinians from Baroness Valerie Amos, May 2011. an increase in Palestinian fatalities their communities, particularly and injuries caused by the Israeli in Area C, where the Israeli Palestinian population, in addition military. In the West Bank there authorities retain full control to limiting the capacity of the local was also a significant increase in over security and planning and and international organizations settler-related violence, directed zoning. Israeli military operations who deliver assistance to the most both against persons and their have been the main cause of vulnerable populations. In the properties. Israeli civilians are also displacement in the Gaza Strip; an Gaza Strip the blockade continues threatened by rockets and mortar estimated 15,000 remain displaced to be the main impediment to shells fired indiscriminately at from the ‘Cast Lead’ offensive in access, economic recovery and southern Israel by Palestinian 2008/09. restoration of basic rights. In the armed groups, although those West Bank, the application of directly affected are fewer. While restrictions on Movement and movement and access restrictions the context in which civilians Access is discriminatory, targeting mostly Palestinian residents, for are killed or injured differs, the Movement and access within the the benefit of the Israeli settler common denominator affecting oPt is restricted by a combination population. all victims of unlawful acts of of physical obstacles – most violence is a pervasive absence notably the Barrier, checkpoints – Humanitarian Space of accountability and a culture and by bureaucratic constraints, of impunity, resulting from lack such as permits and access In 2011, while the capacity of of respect for international law restricted areas. This multi-layered humanitarian organizations to by the parties and failure of law system impacts the flow of both provide assistance benefited from enforcement on the part of Israeli persons and goods into the Gaza the absence of large-scale violence, authorities. Strip; between Gaza and the West a mixture of bureaucratic, physical Bank; within the West Bank itself, and political constraints continue Forced displacement and into East Jerusalem from to significantly undermine the Forced displacement represents the remainder of the oPt. These ability of humanitarian actors to a growing threat to vulnerable restrictions also impact access function and deliver assistance Palestinian communities in the oPt, to services – health, education, throughout the oPt. The situation is as a result of policies and practices and housing – on the part of the exacerbated by the fragmentation Fragmented lives | Humanitarian Overview 2011 3 May 2012 of the oPt into disconnected areas occupied Palestinian territory. from the remainder of the West – the Gaza Strip, East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip remains effectively Bank and the Gaza Strip, as a the ‘Seam Zone’, and the rest of isolated by the blockade, with the result of policies and practices the West Bank. Even those parts of movement of people and goods adopted by Israel following its the West Bank under the control of highly restricted, particularly from unilateral annexation in 1967. the Palestinian Authority (Areas A the West Bank, counter to Israel’s The remainder of the West & B), are non-contiguous and are commitment, under the Oslo Bank is further subdivided by a divided by swathes of Area C. Accords, to recognize the Gaza complex system of physical and Strip and the West Bank as a ‘single bureaucratic restrictions, centred Overall, while the Palestinian territorial unit.’ East Jerusalem – round Palestinian inability to Authority’s state-building LIFE, LIBERTY which traditionally served as the build or to develop land and water initiative continued in those parts focus of political, commercial, resources, particularly in Area C, of the West Bank which it controls religious and cultural life for the and the continuing expansion of (Areas A & B), 2011witnessed the entire Palestinian population of settlements. continuing fragmentation of the the oPt – is increasingly separated AND SECURITY The Way Forward the civilian population in the oPt has suffered several decades of conflict and occupation, which has had serious and negative impact upon all aspects of their lives. Many of the humanitarian concerns outlined in this report relate directly to a failure, on all sides, to respect international law and ensure that civilians are protected and respected. the situation has been further exacerbated by lack of accountability and a pervasive culture of impunity, which has allowed violence and confiscation of land and resources to continue unabated.t hese trends must be reversed. the Palestinian population has the ability and the resilience to recover from years of conflict and occupation