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Sender: ELCA Mid-East Networking
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From: Ann Hafften <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: UN Reports 041109
Nov. 10, 200
>From the ELCA Middle East Networking List...
United Nations reports provide good information about the
state of affairs in Gaza and the West Bank.
Many informative reports are located at this web page:
http://www.reliefweb.int/hic-opt.
Dennis Frado, director of the Lutheran Office for World
Community at the UN recommends this lengthy report, updated
in September "The Humanitarian Impact of the West Bank
Barrier on Palestinian Communities."
Another is the "OCHA Humanitarian Update - Oct 2004,"
produced by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) -
www.reliefweb.int/hic-opt/docs/UN/OCHA/ochaHU1004.pdf
It deals with
- Humanitarian concerns in Gaza
- Rafah house demolitions
- A 10-year-old girl dies after being shot while in school
- Access to schools | Intifada anniversary
- Humanitarian monitoring briefs
Here's a sample from the overview:
October 2004 was the deadliest month for Palestinians
since the Israeli operation "Defensive Shield" in April
2002.
At least 114 Palestinians were killed during operation "Days
of Penitence", according to the Palestinian Ministry of
Health (MoH). Five Israelis were killed during the same
period. An additional 17 Palestinians were killed in Khan
Younis during a two-day Israeli operation that began on 24
October.
In both operations, Israeli forces were trying to stop
Palestinian shelling attacks on nearby Israeli towns that
caused Israeli casualties.
In October, the IDF also moved into various areas
throughout the West Bank causing a number of civilian
casualties, including a 12-year-old boy who was killed in
Jenin refugee camp, 30 October. Two other boys were wounded.
Distressed by casualties, a spokesperson for UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated, "The Secretary-General
renews his calls on the government of Israel to take
effective measures to avoid any harm to Palestinian
civilians, and to have special care for the protection of the
children." For more on this and Annan's statement, please
see:
http://www.un.org/News
On 26 October, the Israeli Knesset approved the
government's planned withdrawal of settlers and soldiers from
the Gaza Strip. Under the plan, Israel will retain control of
Gaza's borders, coastline and airspace, and the right to
conduct operations in the Gaza Strip for security purposes.
Four West Bank settlements are also to be evacuated under the
same plan.
"The Humanitarian Impact of the West Bank Barrier on
Palestinian Communities," the lengthy report recommended by
Dennis Frado, can be found at
http://www.reliefweb.int/hic-opt
and the direct link is :
www.reliefweb.int/hic-opt/docs/UN/OCHA/BARRIER-REP_Update-4_[
En]-Sep2004.pdf
The full document is a big download with some great new
photos; it totals 36 pages.
Here is an excerpt, the key findings:
Findings and Overview
Revised Barrier Route Published: A new Barrier map was issued
by the Israeli Ministry of Defense on 30 June 2004, altering
prior routes published on 23 October 2003 and 25 March 2004.2
The revised route places fewer Palestinians on the west side
of the Barrier but does not reduce significantly the amount
of land from which the Barrier separates Palestinian
landowners and farmers from their land. The revised route
removes two large enclaves in the Salfit and Ramallah
governorates from the prior route. However, two major roads
generally prohibited for Palestinian use run across the open
side of the revised route, and effectively act as barriers to
Palestinian movement out of these areas. Accordingly, it is
unlikely that this revision will improve the humanitarian
access for the majority of Palestinians.
The revised route creates two semi-enclaves and an additional
four new enclaves.
The revised route reduces the total length of the Barrier by
16 kilometres. [See page 5 ]
New Requisition Orders Issued: The IDF has issued the first
land requisition orders in the Hebron Governorate and the
Ari'el "finger"3 in the northern West Bank. [See page
8]
Restricted Access through the Barrier Gates: Fifty-five (55)
gates were observed in the constructed Barrier during the
current reporting period. This marks a net increase of 2
gates since Update No. 3 (April 2004).
Out of the 55 gates, 21 gates are open to Palestinians who
have permits.
Thirty-four (34) gates in the Barrier are closed to
Palestinians.
Eleven (11) gates have changed status since the last update -
8 have been opened and 3 have been closed for Palestinian
use. [See page 22]
Green permits to cross the Barrier - Concern for farmers and
family access to the olive harvest: The upcoming olive
harvest, roughly from the first week in October through the
first week in November, raises concerns for farmers, local
families and day labourers who need to obtain "green
permits"
4 from the IDF in order to access olive groves located behind
the Barrier. The farmers and landowners will need to cross
"seasonal" gates - gates normally open only for Israeli
military use but which the IDF states are open during harvest
seasons for Palestinians. [See page 27]
Access to Services: South Hebron and Barta'a Ash Sharqiya:
South Hebron: The impact of the Barrier on the livelihood of
Palestinians living in the planned "closed area" will be
severe. The area is mostly arid and is not food
self-sufficient making access to markets crucial. Access to
education and health services is already restricted due to
the closures and it is projected that the Barrier will make
access even more difficult. Development requirements in this
area aimed at connecting Palestinians to an electricity grid,
water networks and road infrastructure will be undermined by
the Barrier. [See page 29]
Barta'a ash Sharqiya: Access to specialised healthcare is
difficult, especially for emergency and chronic cases. The
time it takes for many students to travel to school on the
other side of the Barrier has increased significantly.
Current restrictions on Palestinian labour in Israel have
resulted in an unemployment rate of 80%. In addition, Barta'a
ash Sharqiya has had to import all consumer goods, including
water during the summer months. [See page 31]
Legal and International Events: On 30 June 2004, the Israeli
High Court of Justice 5 ordered the government of Israel to
redraw the route of a planned 30-kilometre stretch of the
Barrier northwest of Jerusalem, stating that the original
Barrier plans would cause too much hardship for Palestinians.
On 9 July 2004, the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
issued its advisory opinion stating that the Barrier
represented a breach of international humanitarian law and
should be dismantled.
On 20 July 2004, the 10th emergency special session of the
United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution
A/ES-10/15, which demanded that Israel comply with the legal
obligations identified in the ICJ advisory opinion. Vote -
150 member states in favour, six against and 10 abstentions.
On 19 August 2004, the Israeli High Court of Justice ordered
the government to address the implications of the ruling of
the ICJ within 30 days. The order by the Israeli court was
made in response to a petition by residents of Shuqba
village.
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Ann Hafften
Coordinator for Middle East Networking
Division for Global Mission, ELCA
www.elca.org/middleeast
800-638-3522, ext. 6466
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