Memorandum submitted by Christian Aid
"I just can't cope. I don't know what to
do. None of my sons can find work. There is no money to buy food.
I have 25 mouths to feed but nothing to give them. I rely on the
kindness of friends and neighbours, but I can't continue like
this. I've never been so desperate. Somebody has to help us,"
a tearful grandmother In Gaza told Christian Aid.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza, including
access to fuel, food and health services
The situation for 1.5 million Palestinians in
the Gaza Strip is worse now than it has ever been since the start
of the Israeli military occupation in 1967, as detailed in the
recent multi-agency report, The Gaza Strip: a humanitarian implosion,
to which Christian Aid contributed. The vast majority of the population
are dependent on food aid, fuel shortages threaten essential services
and water supply, sick people cannot leave Gaza to receive medical
treatment, and the economy has effectively collapsed.
In response to the election of Hamas in 2006,
its de facto takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007 and the ongoing
and indiscriminate firing of rockets into Israel, the Israeli
government has imposed severe restrictions on access of goods
and people to and from Gaza. The population of Gaza feels that
it has been cut off from the outside world.
This situation Is not the result of a natural
disaster, but due to a lack of international political will to
solve a political aisle that has bedevilled the region for decades.
The root cause of the escalating crisis in Gaza, and continuing
insecurity for both Palestinians and Israelis, relates to the
failure to address the underlying causes of the conflict and the
continuing disregard of international law.
As the head of UNRWA (the United Nations Relief
and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees) recently warned, "Gaza
is on the threshold of becoming the first territory to be intentionally
reduced to a state of abject destitution, with the knowledge,
acquiescence and—some would say—encouragement of the
international community."
Today over 80% of Palestinians in Gaza live
in absolute poverty, compared to 83% in 2008, and approximately
20% in 1998. Year on year, the people of Gaza are getting poorer
in spite of exponential increases in international aid.
Since Hamas took power last June, Gaza has been
subjected to severe restrictions on movement that have allowed
in only a drip-feed of aid, preventing a full-scale humanitarian
emergency but keeping the population in a perpetual state of economic
crisis. In effect, Gaza is under blockade.
The blockade also affects fuel supplies, which
leads to an erratic and unreliable supply of power from Gaza's
only power plant. This sometimes leaves homes, hospitals and factories
without electricity. The lack of fuel also has implications for
Gaza's water supply and sanitation infrastructure, which has led
to untreated sewage flowing through the streets and into homes.
1,627 patients were denied permits for health
treatment outside Gaza in 2007. Overall, 18.5% of applicants were
denied permits in 2007. The monthly figures paint a dramatic picture
of a sharp decline in those receiving permits throughout the year.
In January 2007 89.3% of patients were granted permits, but by
December this figure had declined to 64.3% (source: World Health
Organisation).
However, these statistics fail to show those
who were granted a permit but were turned back at the border,
and those whose permits have not been refused but "delayed"—sometimes
for months—whilst their serious medical conditions deteriorate.
Physicians for Human Rights Israel, a Christian
Aid partner organisation, estimates that, since the beginning
of 2008, at least four patients have died due to deterioration
in their medical conditions after their travel permits were delayed
or denied (Source: PHRI).
The current mechanism between the Palestinian
Authority and the Israeli authorities at Erez Crossing (including
a recent development whereby patients have been sent by Shuttle
bus to Jordan or Egypt) functions only partially—with long
delays, problems of transparency with procedures and no right
of appeal.
Hamas and Egypt have recently set up a temporary
agreement regarding access to medical treatment. A number of people
am now receiving treatment in Egypt and Jordan under this agreement.
However, this system Is neither comprehensive nor permanent It
doe not serve all residents of Gaza and does not allow people
to access treatment in Israel or the West Bank.
According to PHRI, the government of Israel,
which still controls access points for the Gaza Strip, must establish
a transparent and fair system to ensure access of patients to
medical centres outside Gaza. Such a system is urgently needed
in order to save lives.
Progress In the Middle East Peace Process Since
Annapolis and the Paris donor conference
Since the Annapolis conference, any progress
that may have been made in dialogue between the Israeli government
and Palestinian Authority has been overshadowed by violence. Whether
in the streets of Gaza or in the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem,
innocent civilians are paying the price of the political impasse
that persists.
The international optimism expressed during
and after the Annapolis conference in December 2007 is misplaced.
By failing to address the situation in Gaza, and excluding Hamas
as a major party to the conflict, the conference only reinforced
Israel's policy to isolate Gaza and undermined the credibility
of the process itself.
International support must be given to the efforts
of interlocutors, such as Egypt, that are attempting to broker
a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. However, there is also an
urgent need for intra-factional Palestinian dialogue and reconciliation
in order to put a credible and effective peace partner and, thereby,
process with Israel. The way out of the current political impasse
is the re-establishment of an OPT-wide representative Palestinian
administration.
Violence continues from both sides, with each
claiming that they are acting in self-defence. Israel states its
blockade on Gaza is necessary in order to prevent rocket attacks
on Israel, including those on civilian areas such as the town
of Sderot. Christian Aid recently met with the mayor of Sderot
during with he detailed the severe impact that the attacks have
had on the town's population, which, in our opinion only underlines
the fact that the current policy is not working.
In addition, and similarly against the word
and spirit of the Annapolis conference, Israel has continued to
declare new settlement expansion. For example, on 9 March 2008,
330 new housing units were announced for the Settlement of Givat
Zeev. Israel has yet to dismantle any of the outposts in the West
Bank, which are illegal even under Israeli law, and there has
been no reduction in the number of roadblocks and checkpoints
in the West Bank, from which East Jerusalem Is increasingly isolated.
Political developments in the OPTs since June
2007 and the role of the Quartet
Christian Aid maintains that members of the
Quartet (and the Middle Eastern countries involved in the negotiations)
have an obligation, as states parties to the Geneva Conventions
and other international human rights treaties, to ensure respect
for International law. They should use these prerogatives as a
positive force for change and insist that the Israeli government
and the Palestinian Authority (PA), as well as Hamas and other
Palestinian Armed Groups, adhere to their human rights and international
humanitarian law commitments.
Christian Aid is concerned that the Annapolis
conference diminshed the potential political impact that the Quartet
can have. The statement from the conference defined the US role,
but did not clearly define those of the remaining members of the
Quartet.
We welcomed President Bush's statement during
his recent visit to the region, calling for "an end to the
occupation that began in 1967", as an important recognition
that the occupation remains the main obstacle to a viable solution
to the conflict in the Middle East.
This needs to translate into genuine pressure
on the Israeli government to dismantle all the physical aspects
of the occupation throughout the occupied Palestinian territories.
This, together with an agreement that guarantees the full sovereignty
of both Palestinians and Israelis, will be an important step towards
peace with justice.
However, Christian Aid is concerned that President
Bush has suggested to the Palestinians that United Nations Resolutions
in response to the occupation—for example Resolution 242,
which emphasised the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory
by war and called for Israel's withdrawal from territories occupied;
and Resolution 194, which deals with the rights of the Palestinian
refugees—are not the way to help solve the conflict.
Such suggestion fails to recognise or understand
the full extent of what is required to end the occupation and
ignores the fact that, for a solution to be viable and to bring
lasting peace, international law cannot be ignored.
In its 2007 report Israel and Palestine:
a question of viability Christian Aid established how any
peace process needs to be guided by international law in order
to ensure credibility and bring an end to impunity of actions
that violate rights and law.
The international community has repeatedly voiced
a commitment to a viable Palestinian state, but what that means
has never been properly defined. To redress this, Christian Aid
established a checklist that shows what must happen to bring about
a viable solution to end the occupation and lead to justice for
both the Israelis and Palestinians.
The report defines viability as "the
necessary conditions that allow sustainability and growth to flourish".
The checklist includes: control over natural resources, such as
land and water; freedom of movement; security for all and control
over the collection and use of financial resources.
President Bush also reiterated his concession,
originally made to former Prime Minister Sharon, that the large
settlement blocs, including those around East Jerusalem, would
remain inside Israel under any peace deal. Their presence results
in daily and systematic human rights violations of those Palestinian
trying to get on with their daily life.
It is worth noting the official UK position
on the settlement issue, with which we concur: "Settlements
are illegal under international law. Phase one of the Quartet
Roadmap calls on Israel to freeze all settlement expansion, including
natural growth, and to dismantle settlement outposts erected since
March 2001. Settlement activity around east Jerusalem, and throughout
the West Bank, threatens the territorial contiguity of any future
Palestinian state, and combined with the construction of the barrier
on occupied Palestinian land, is an obstacle to peace."
Calling for an end to occupation is positive.
Calling for a selective end to occupation, which ignores the legal
obligations of the occupier, does not help the Palestinian leadership
convince the Palestinian people that this is a sincere development.
The international community, the Israelis and
the Palestinians are pursuing strategies that are failing the
people of the region. Without tangible changes on the ground,
no amount of aid can stimulate the Palestinian economy or deliver
security for either people. A new strategy is required that recognises
the importance of engagement and non-violence, respects human
rights and international laws.
The response of the UK government to the changing
situation, and in particular the contribution of the Department
for International Development
The UK, together with their European partners
are pouring millions of pounds into a situation that has no hope
of recovery until the blockade of Gaza is brought to an end and
a political solution found that addresses the conflict throughout
the IOPT. As aid continues to increase and the situation continues
to deteriorate, as demonstrated below, we argue that this is not
an effective use of taxpayers' money.
Poverty levels continue to climb and the UN
predicts that dependency on humanitarian aid "will sharply
rise above and beyond the current level of 80% of the population."[20]
According to the World Food Programme, the mean household monthly
income dropped by 22% in less than four months, between June and
September 2007. During the same period the number of households
in Gaza earning less than US$1.2 per person per day soared from
55-70% (the National Deep Poverty Line is US$2.3 per day).
Only concerted political action, which lifts
the siege on Gaza and seeks a viable solution that delivers an
end to occupation and security for all, will actually change people's
lives and pave the way to economic recovery, political stability
and peace.
The UK's "quiet" diplomacy has not
been sufficient to bring an end to the worsening humanitarian
crisis in the Gaza Strip. Christian Aid notes Secretary of State,
Douglas Alexander's, increased pledge of £2 million to the
ICRC, but asserts that although welcome and necessary, what Gaza
desperately needs Is systematic access to the outside world.
The Israeli policy of isolation is not new,
and Gaza has been subject to closures since the early 1990s. In
November 2005, afer much negotiation, Israel and the Palestinian
Authority concluded an agreement on movement and access (AMA)
for Gaza. The aim of the agreement was to enable the people of
Gaza to move, to trade, to live ordinary lives. However, it has
never been properly implemented.
Christian Aid recommends that
— concrete provisions are made within
the current peace negotiations that actively focus on ending the
isolation of the Gaza Strip;
— the UK government and EU actively
promote plans for the reopening of the Gaza crossings, in line
with the Agreement on Movement and Access, brokered by the US
and EU in 2005;
— the UK government and the international
community help facilitate the process of dialogue and reconciliation
between Palestinians towards the re-establishment of a unified
Palestinian Authority, in order to lead to a credible and effective
peace process with Israel;
— the UK government and EU abandon
the failing policy of non-engagement and begin political dialogue
with all Palestinian parties; and
— it is ensured that all parties to
the peace process commit to pre-conditions for peace negotiations,
including a cessation of violence, security for all and an end
to settlement expansion.
March 2008
20 UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,
The closure of the Gaza Strip: the economic and humanitarian
consequences, OCHA Special Focus, December 2007 Back
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