Tens of thousands of Palestinian families are at risk of being driven from their homes as a result of forced displacement in the occupied territory, more than half of those affected are children. Whilst most attention has focused on home demolitions and community evictions, new research by tSave the Children has revealed intolerable living conditions are driving families to abandon their land and homes, even though most will be worse off once they do so.
The survey carried out in high risk areas including most of the rural West Bank and Gaza border area or 'buffer zone', showed residents enduring extreme hardships - daily shortages of food and water, high unemployment, insecurity, family separation and children unable to go to school. Almost half of Palestinians living in high-risk areas in OPT have been forced from their homes since 2000, the last major period of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
The survey highlights a pattern of extreme neglect and isolation of the Palestinian communities. Amongst its findings were:
* Only 37% of people living in high-risk areas have enough to eat, compared with 70% of people living elsewhere.
* In the surveyed areas of the West Bank, 92% of families have no access to healthcare, compared to 34% in the rest of the occupied territory.
* Only 2% of people in the surveyed areas of the West Bank have access to sanitation, compared with 61% outside the area.
* In Gaza, only 9% of families living in or near the Buffer Zone said they felt safe and secure, compared with 55% outside of the area. |
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Sheikh Jarrah is a Palestinian residential neighbourhood located to the north of the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem. The area, which is home to approximately 2,700 Palestinians, includes well-known landmarks, such as the Orient House, the American Colony Hotel and the Palestinian National Theatre, as well as many consular missions.
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This report on the Bethlehem governorate documents how the central-urban core is constricted by a combination of Israeli infrastructure, including the Barrier, settlements and settlement outposts. In the eastern governorate, administrative restrictions (Area C, closed military areas and nature reserves) also limit the potential for urban expansion, grazing, and for planning and development at the governorate level. If Barrier construction goes ahead as planned in the western part of the governorate, the rural hinterland will be cut off, reducing access to land and water resources. Some 21,000 Palestinian residents will face additional restrictions on access to markets, health services, and higher education in the Bethlehem urban area. |
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This OCHA Special Focus addresses the phenomenon of “illegal” Palestinian construction in East Jerusalem resulting from the failure of the Israeli authorities to provide adequate planning for Palestinian neighbourhoods. This Special Focus provides a statistical overview of Israel’s demolition of unauthorized structures since 2000, provides background on some of the key difficulties facing Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem in their efforts to build, and identifies a number of at-risk communities. In addition, it provides an overview of various NGO and community initiatives that aim to challenge and eventually overcome obstacles in the current municipal planning process. |
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In the immediate aftermath of the 1967 Middle East War, the Syrian Arab village of Jubata Ez-Zeit was occupied by the Israeli military. Subsequently, the village became a closed military zone, its people removed and forcefully prevented from returning. The village was later completely destroyed and in the early 1970s the Israeli settlement ‘Neve Ativ’ was established in its place.
Uniquely, this report focuses on the international humanitarian law violations and the human dimension of Israel’s occupation of the Syrian Golan concentrating specifically on the case of Jubata Ez-Zeit.
The report was produce by Al Marsad, the Arab Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Golan and co-authored by Declan Gannon, legal researcher Al- Marsad, and Dr. Ray Murphy, senior lecture Irish Center for Human Rights.
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Prepared by Ala Hlehel for the Akka Residents Coalition |
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A report of the World Bank's Social and Economic Development Group Finance and Private Sector Development Middle East and North Africa Region |
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This B'Tselem report deals with the denial of Palestinian access to areas adjacent to settlements in the West Bank by closing lands and, in effect, attaching them to the settlement. The report describes the phenomenon, its magnitude, its particular attributes and the grave human rights violations that come in its wake – all in their historical, security, political, and legal contexts.
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Report of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center and Norwegian Refugee Council |
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