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News from the Region

Humanitarian Organizations Warn of Deteriorating Economic Situation in Gaza

By Paul Pierce, Quaker International Affairs Representative, Jerusalem

In a press conference held in Jerusalem on May 4, 2006, 36 international aid agencies working in the Palestinian territories warned against the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza six months after the Israeli redeployment.

Three factors paving the way towards humanitarian crisis: (1) the Israeli restrictions on the movement of people and goods, (2) the withholding of Palestinian tax revenues, and (3) the cutting of aid to the Palestinian public sector.

Representing the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), Jan Coffey, Save the Children UK Programme Manager, named these three factors as paving the way towards humanitarian crisis: (1) the Israeli restrictions on the movement of people and goods, (2) the withholding of Palestinian tax revenues, and (3) the cutting of aid to the Palestinian public sector. These are the main reasons the situation is declining so rapidly after Israeli redeployment and may deteriorate even further if current and additional humanitarian and development activities are jeopardized.

Coffey stressed that the administrative, management and coordination responsibilities of public sector institutions cannot be replaced by non-governmental agencies (NGOs) and the United Nations. The AIDA organizations also recommended international donors continue to provide essential humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people.

In addition, the group urged Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) to uphold the Agreement on Movement and Access signed in November 2005 to ease the movement of people and goods through the main crossing points. They called on both sides to respect international humanitarian law and protect civilians in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Jan Coffey, Save the Children UK Program Manager, and David Shearer, Head of the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) Photo: Paul Pierce

Coffey, said: “The situation in Gaza is very bleak with 78% of the population living under the poverty line of less than US$ 2.1 per person per day, and 10% of children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition.”

David Shearer, Head of the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) pointed out that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip has deteriorated and is likely to worsen substantially if the PA salaries are not paid.

He said: “All the international aid agencies put together will not be able to replace the services that the Palestinian Authority provides to the people in the Gaza Strip.” 140,000 persons are employed by the PA in Gaza and the West Bank. An additional 7-8 persons depend on each PA wage earners’ income. Theses employees staff the hospitals, schools from kindergarten through university, and the police, in addition to the government ministries. The PA employees have not been paid for March or April, due to Israel withholding tax monies and the US sanctions.

Both speakers stressed that the need for humanitarian assistance would be greatly reduced if economic activity were revived through the lifting of the restrictions on the movement of people and goods.  

The American Friends Service Committee, a member of AIDA, is especially concerned about the difficulty in delivering programs in Gaza and the West Bank in light of recent closures, restrictions and the deteriorating financial situation facing the Palestinian population that we serve.

Last week, a group of participants in the Quaker Youth Program traveling to Ramallah from Jenin for a teleconference with youth in the United States were turned back at a checkpoint by Israeli Defense Forces and not allowed to proceed to their destination. During the same period, AFSC staff-persons traveling near Nablus were shot at when approaching a checkpoint.

Just recently, 120 Qassam rockets were fired into Israel from Gaza, causing no injuries or deaths among the Israeli population. In response, over 4,000 artillery shells were fired into Gaza killing several innocent Palestinian civilians and wounding many others. This bombardment, coupled with the freeze on humanitarian funds as well as the withholding of tax revenue due the Palestinian Authority, is increasing desperation and poverty among the Palestinian population in Gaza. This makes program delivery less effective and more difficult.

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