February Overview
Displacement has grave physical, social, economic and emotional impact on people. The main displacement triggers in the occupied Palestinian territory in recent years have included the outbreak in hostilities, restrictive planning, settler activities and natural disasters. Developments and activities during February highlighted the situation of families recently displaced, or at risk of imminent displacement, as well as the role of humanitarian assistance in alleviating the resulting hardship.
In the Gaza Strip, over 2,400 people, whose homes were destroyed or damaged beyond repair during the November 2012 escalation in hostilities, are still displaced in rented accommodation or with host families. While reconstruction works are underway for about a third of the 382 affected homes, none has been completed. During the month UN agencies, as well as the local authorities and a few NGOs, finalized the distribution of cash assistance to all the displaced families, aimed at covering rental expenses and the purchase of essential furniture and home items.
In East Jerusalem, settler organizations have accelerated their efforts to take over land and property in the strategic Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood. Ongoing eviction proceedings at an Israeli court have placed a family of ten (the Shamasne family) at imminent risk of forced displacement. The Palestinian Authority has provided the family with legal assistance. To date, an estimated 2,000 Israeli settlers reside in Palestinian neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem, resulting in constant tension and the increased fragmentation of the affected areas.
While all 650 people displaced as a result of floods during January’s storm have returned to their homes, there were many whose vulnerability was exacerbated even further by the damage sustained by their already precarious shelters. In an intervention completed during the month, more than 100 herding families in the southern West Bank received assistance to winterize their residential shelters. A number of additional interventions ongoing or completed during February sought to mitigate the impact of the storm’s damage on agricultural livelihoods, estimated at US$ 16.5 million. The interventions’ main priorities were the reduction of livestock mortality, the rehabilitation of greenhouses, and the repair of agricultural roads serving isolated communities.
In the West Bank, February also witnessed an escalation in clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces during demonstrations and protests. Most protests were held in support of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails, while a few other demanded the opening of the main street in Hebron City (Shuhada street), currently used only by Israeli settlers, for Palestinian use too. This resulted in the injury of 746 Palestinian civilians, more than a three-fold increase compared to the monthly average of injuries during 2012. Of particular concern is the more frequent firing of rubber-coated metal bullets by Israeli forces, which resulted in the death of one demonstrator and the injury of another 294, a few of whom are in critical condition. The Israel Security Agency (also known as “Shabak”) also recorded a sharp increase in Palestinian attacks against Israeli security forces, mostly throwing of Molotov cocktails, which resulted in the injury of two soldiers.
The impact of the financial crisis affecting the PA on the delivery of health services has been of increasing concern. The Ministry of Health’s debt amounts to over US$ 170 million, the large majority to pharmaceutical providers and hospitals providing specialized care. Health employees have taken strike action to protest the irregular payment of salaries and staff shortages, reducing people’s access to medical treatment and forcing hospitals to cancel non-emergency surgeries. The situation of hospitals in East Jerusalem, which are the exclusive providers of some specialized medical treatments, is of particularly concern.
http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_the_humanitarian_monitor_2013_03_25_english.pdf
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