Repercussions of the Israeli Occupation of the Palestinian Territory: An Overview

Prepared by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

Presented By Tarik Alami, Chief, Emerging and Conflict related Issues

Outline

1. The Israeli Occupation: Practices, Policies and Impacta. Excessive Use of Force and Arbitrary Detentionsb. Home Demolitions, Property Confiscation and Population

Displacementc. Israeli Settlements and Settler Violenced. The Walle. Mobility Restrictions and Closure Policiesf. Impact on Natural Resources and the Environment

2. Towards an Independent State and Sustainable Developmenta. The Approachb. Civil Society and Private Sector Partnershipsc. Previous Efforts and Way Forward

General Remarks

• The main cause of socio-economic and humanitarian plight of the Palestinian people is the Israeli occupation

• Israel has established a regime of occupation, which has manifested itself in a series of unlawful and internationally prohibited measures

a. Excessive Use of Force and Arbitrary Detentions

OPT: Excessive Use of Force and Arbitrary Detentions

• 125 Palestinians killed and 2,144 injured by Israeli security forces and settlers in 2011:– Including 16 children killed and 441 injured– More than 2 thirds of the casualties were linked to settlement activity

• Between 2000 and 2011 at least 1,351 Palestinian children killed by Israeli soldiers/settlers

•Administrative Detention: detaining an individual without any charge or trial.•Between 1967 and 2010, more than 760,000 Palestinians were detained

by Israeli forces including 15,000 children•192 (average) Palestinian children were in Israeli prisons throughout

2011•At least 63 cases of torture/ill-treatment of detained children were

documented in 2011•An estimated 500-700 Palestinian children are prosecuted in Israeli

militarycourts each year

b. Home Demolitions, Property Confiscation and Population Displacement

OPT: Home Demolitions, Property Confiscation and Population Displacement

Demolitions of structures and homes, as well as population displacement has been systematic and constitutes an alarming trend:

• Demolitions peaked in 2011 increased by 80% from 2010: – higher than any year since 2005– 620 Palestinian residential structures were demolished– 1094 people displaced – 4164 others directly affected

• At least 21,200 Palestinians have been left homeless as a result of home demolitions since 2004

• 23,500 people are still homeless in the Gaza Strip, due to inability to reconstruct 15,000 homes damaged or destroyed during “Operation Cast Lead”

OPT: Home Demolitions, Property Confiscation and Population Displacement

East Jerusalem: Policy of systematic displacement and land grab

• Expropriation of at least 23,378,000 m2 of land in East Jerusalem since 1968

• 390 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem demolished since 2004

•Limitations on Palestinians’ ability to construct in East Jerusalem

– 60,000 Palestinians in East Jerusalem under the threat of becoming homeless

• Revocation of 13,115 residency permits for Palestinian between 1967 and November 2009 (46 additional permits in the first half of 2010)

The Occupied Palestinian Territoryc. Israeli Settlements and Settler Violence

OPT: Israeli Settlements and Settler Violence

Israeli settlements in the OPT are considered illegal according the UN Security Council Resolution 446 (1979), and outposts are even illegal under Israeli law

•517,774 Israeli Settlers in 144 settlements and 100 outposts in the OPT (mid-2010)•Israeli settler population growth rate in the OPT has been more than double the rate within Israel:•Number of Israeli settlers has more than doubled since 1992

•In 2011, the rate of construction in Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land was double that of construction within Israel•Settlers use roads in the OPT marked for Israeli access only

Year 1992 1997 2002 2007 2010

Israeli Settlers 241,500 308,689 383,275 461,169 517,774

• Settler attacks more than doubled compared in 2010 to 2009:– 304 settler-related incidents against Palestinians and their properties (February 2010 and

February 2011) – Settlers took over at least ten Palestinian housing units in occupied East Jerusalem– Israeli settlers burned down Palestinian churches and Mosques– Attacks against four medical facilities and crews and educational institutions – Destruction of roughly 4,000 olive trees – many of them ancient

• No indictments following 97 investigations into the destruction of Palestinian trees by Israeli settlers between 2005 and 2010.

OPT: Israeli Settlements and Settler Violence

Israeli Settlers “Price Tag Policy”:Respond to any action by Israeli authorities limiting settlement expansion by attacking

Palestinians and their property

The Occupied Palestinian Territory

d. The Wall

WEST BANK

Constructed61.4% (434 km)

Under Construction8.4% (60 km)

Planned30.2% (213 km)

Green Line (OCHA-OPT)

Total Length: 707 kmWithin the West Bank 85%

•De facto annexation of 13%of the West Bank• 33,000 Palestinians stranded between the

Wall and the Green Line• 855,000 Palestinians affected • East Jerusalem severed from the remainder

of the West Bank• Palestinians have to obtain ‘visitor’ permits

for their farming land and water resources

The Occupied Palestinian Territorye. Mobility Restrictions and Closure Policies

Areas A and B (Oslo Accords)Areas C149 Israeli settlements,100 outposts and land cultivated by Israelis

Israeli military closed areas (Fire Zones) and 48 military bases

Nature Reserves

West Bank Barrier and Areas between the Barrier and the Green Line

Restricted Roads

Closures and Checkpoints

The effect of the closures and the road system

Fragmentation of the West Bank

Tunnels(As of September 2008)

Map Courtesy of OCHA-OPT (2008)

Mobility Restrictions in the West Bank:557 Obstacles (checkpoints, ditches, sand mounds…) hinder the movement of Palestinians in the West Bank (Dec 2011)

Map Courtesy of OCHA-OPT

The Gaza Strip: Blockade and Access Restrictions

•Blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip since June 2007:

• collective punishment imposed on an entire civilian population in direct violation of article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

•Most of the fundamental parameters of Israel’s blockade remain in place

• Movement of Gaza’s population in and out of the Strip remains difficult and largely banned• Limited access of humanitarian assistance• importation of basic construction materials

remains heavily restricted

• Israel imposes a 1-1.5 km ‘buffer zone’ within the Gaza Strip

• Denying Palestinians access to 35% of the Strip’s agricultural land

• Sea areas beyond 3 nautical miles from shore are barred for Palestinian access

• 200 Nautical miles is the Exclusive Economic Zone for UN member states• 65,000 people affected by restrictions to

maritime areas

The Occupied Palestinian Territoryf. Impact on Natural Resources and the Environment

OPT: Impact on Natural Resources and the Environment

• Palestinians have very limited access to water resources:– Palestinian access to domestic fresh water averages 73 litres/person/day in the West

Bank and 52 in the Gaza Strip. (WHO recommends a minimum of 100 litres/person/day)– Half of Palestinian wells have been dried up over the last two decades

• On average, an Israeli settler consumes 7 times as much water as a Palestinian, while Palestinians pay 5 times as much as the settlers for water

• 170,000,000 m2 of fertile land are isolated by the wall in the West Bank

• Israeli settlements dump around 40million m3 of wastewater and solid waste annually on Palestinian land.

• Due to the blockade on the Gaza Strip, 60 million litres of untreated or partly treated sewage reaches agricultural lands, the sea, and sources of drinking water on a daily basis

The Occupied Palestinian Territoryg. Social and Economic Indicators

OPT: Social and Economic Indicators

• GDP per person in 2010 to be 30 per cent less than it was in 2000

• 22% of Palestinian lived in poverty in 2009

• 24% unemployment rate in the OPT In the first half of 2011 (relaxed definition)

• 1,365 establishments operational in the Gaza Strip (June-July 2010), compared to 3,900 prior to the blockade

• Land access restrictions in the Gaza Strip cost the economy a loss of approximately 75,000 metric tons of potential produce annually

• Palestinian households dedicate more than half of their total cash expenditures to food

• The OPT has become one of the most aid-dependent economies in the world

OPT: Social and Economic Indicators• 1.43 million Palestinians suffer from food insecurity

• 2 out 3 children in the Gaza Strip report severe and moderate reaction to trauma. Post-traumatic stress among families is estimated at 45%.

• The blockade on the Gaza Strip has forced people “to make unacceptable tradeoffs, often having to choose between food or medicine or water for their families”

• The blockade on the Gaza Strip has led to severe shortages in essential drugs and medicines, as well as in medical equipment

• Restrictions are placed on the movement of patients and health staff in the West Bank

• 80% of schools in the Gaza Strip operate on double shifts to accommodate the number of students

• 40 incidents in which students are prevented from accessing schools, learning is disrupted, or where the safety of students was compromised were documented in 2010 in the West Bank

Toward an Independent State and Sustainable Development

The Approach

Reality:

- Israeli occupation: full control mobility, economy and security

- Unstable/untenable status quo

In this light preparing the ground for a future Palestinian State:

- Institution Building – in progress by Palestinian Authority

- Reintegrating Palestine in the Arab region

Reintegrating Palestine in the Arab Region

Arab-Palestinian Partnerships:• Capitalization on Arab support to the Palestinian People• Provision of politically-independent support• Prospects for growth of mutually beneficial partnerships• Less prone to the occupation and developments on the ground• Viable partnerships: AS OF TODAY

Types of partnerships:1. Civil society entities2. Private sector institutions

Partnerships on the governmental level are also underway.

The Partnerships

1. Civil Society Partnerships:

- Arab civil society institutions can benefit from their Palestinian counterparts- In light of the Arab Awakening and increasing role of civil society- Palestinian long and extensive experience

- Palestinian civil society needs Arab partners- For funding- For coordinated advocacy- For regional projects and initiatives

The Partnerships

2. Private Sector Partnerships:

- Arab private sector partnerships with Palestinian counterparts - Could find lucrative investment opportunities in the OPT in several

sectors including tourism and agriculture- Bypass political obstacles

- Palestinian private sector would benefit from such a partnership- Increased opportunities/economic growth- Decrease dependency on the Israeli economy- Outlet to the outer world

Role of the United Nations

- Provide a platform for fostering partnerships- Providing seed funding/projects or programmes- Advocacy and encouragement- Provide political support- Capitalization and reinforcement of such partnerships

Previous Efforts

In 2003, ESCWA in partnership with UNSCO, UNDP, UNCTAD, ILO, the Palestinian Authority, the League of Arab States and many other organizations launched a multi-track process. The results:• Arab-International Forum in Beirut in 2004• 8 partnership agreements and initiatives• The establishment of a series of networks

Way Forward

Political and security developments on the Palestinian and regional scenes stalled the continuation of this process, HOWEVER:

1. The need remains, if not grown2. The Arab Awakening could be a facilitating factor3. ESCWA and partners are still committed

Conclusion

Thank you