Fragmented lives
Humanitarian Overview 2011
may 2012
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UNITED NATIONS
Ofc fo h Cooao of Humaaa Affasoccup Palsa
oy
OCHA
o P t
COOrdinAtiOn SAveS LiveS
G a z a , M e l H a l a b / O C H A , 2 0 1 1 .
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Fragmented lives | Humanitarian Overview 2011May 2012
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-specic issues – Gaza, Area C, East Jerusalem.
Fragmented Lives: HumanitarianOverview2011
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 reect the advocacy priorities identied by the HumanitarianCountry 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 conict
and occupation, a lack of respect for international law, a near complete absence of accountability and a systemof 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 developtheir economy and lives free of large scale humanitarian interventions. In 2011, the main advocacy priorities toaddress 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 reected 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 humanitariancommunity to monitor trends and developments in the oPt for advocacy purposes and to track developinghumanitarian trends. I hope that the
Humanitarian Overview
will serve both as a practical advocacy tool and acomprehensive 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 nding a durable solutionto the Arab-Israeli conict.
Forewor
Maxwell Gaylard
United Nations Deputy Special Coordinator &
United Nations Resident / Humanitarian Coordinator
3
Fragmented lives | Humanitarian Overview 2011May 2012
The
2011 Humanitarian Overview
addresses
the key advocacy
priorities identied by the
Humanitarian Country Team(HCT), the main humanitariancoordinating body for UN agencies
and NGO partners in the oPt. T
he
report identies the following
trends in the main priority areas:
Lf, Lby a Scuy
Palestinian civilians throughoutthe oPt face threats to their life,security and property as a resultof policies and practices relatingto the ongoing occupation, as
well as intermient outbreaks of
hostilities. Overall, 2011 witnessedan increase in Palestinian fatalitiesand injuries caused by the Israelimilitary. In the West Bank there
was also a signicant increase inseler-related violence, directed
both against persons and theirproperties. Israeli civilians are alsothreatened by rockets and mortar
shells red indiscriminately at
southern Israel by Palestinianarmed groups, although those
directly aected are fewer
. Whilethe context in which civilians
are killed or injured diers, thecommon denominator aecting
all victims of unlawful acts ofviolence is a pervasive absenceof accountability and a cultureof impunity, resulting from lackof respect for international law by the parties and failure of lawenforcement on the part of Israeliauthorities.
Foc dsplacm
Forced displacement represents
a growing threat to vulnerablePalestinian communities in the oPt,as a result of policies and practices
Exetie Smmar
enforced by Israeli authorities. In2011, both the number of structuresdemolished (622) and the numberof persons displaced (1,094) in theWest Bank was the highest sinceOCHA started collecting statisticssystematically in 2006. In the West
Bank, including East Jerusalem,
home demolitions are the directcause of most displacement.However, a combination of otherfactors, including the revocationof residency rights,
seler
violence, movement restrictions,and restrictions on planning and
zoning and access to services
and resources, contribute to thedisplacement of Palestinians fromtheir communities, particularlyin Area C, where the Israeliauthorities retain full controlover security and planning and
zoning. Israeli military operations
have been the main cause of
displacement in the Gaza Strip; an
estimated 15,000 remain displaced
from the ‘Cast Lead’ oensive in2008/09.
rscos o Mom aAccss
Movement and access within theoPt is restricted by a combinationof physical obstacles – mostnotably the Barrier, checkpoints –and by bureaucratic constraints,such as permits and accessrestricted areas. This multi-layered
system impacts the ow of bothpersons and goods into the GazaStrip; between Gaza and the West
Bank; within the West Bank itself,
and into East Jerusalem from
the remainder of the oPt. Theserestrictions also impact accessto services – health, education,and housing – on the part of thePalestinian population, in additionto limiting the capacity of the local
and international organizations
who deliver assistance to the mostvulnerable populations. In the
Gaza Strip the blockade continues
to be the main impediment toaccess, economic recovery andrestoration of basic rights. In theWest Bank, the application ofmovement and access restrictionsis discriminatory, targetingmostly Palestinian residents, for
the benet of the Israeli seler
population.
Humaaa Spac
In 2011, while the capacity of
humanitarian organizations toprovide assistance beneted from
the absence of large-scale violence,a mixture of bureaucratic, physicaland political constraints continue
to signicantly undermine the
ability of humanitarian actors tofunction and deliver assistancethroughout the oPt. The situation isexacerbated by the fragmentation
‘Palsas a uly fusaby h mpac of isal polcs oh ls. thy ca’ mo flyaou h oy. thy ca’pla h commus. thy ac fom h homs. thhoms a gulaly molsh.i o’ bl ha mos popl isal ha ay a of h wayplag polcs a us o a haass commus afamls. thy woul o hmslslk o b subjc o suchbhao.’
United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs,Baroness Valerie Amos, May 2011.
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