Reheat and serve

For example, one of thegestures is a promise to update the addresses of over 1,900 residents of the West Bank who are currently registered as residents of the Gaza Strip in the Israeli-controlled Palestinian population registry. There are approximately 35,000 people living in the West Bank in this situation. Some avoid leaving their homes and neighborhoods for fear that they will be removed to the Gaza Strip if caught by Israeli authorities. Updatingthe addresses of these individuals in the population registry would certainly make a dramatic change in the quality of their lives.

So what’s the problem? Well, in actuality, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu already promised to update the addresses of 5,000 Palestinians back in February of this year. Until recently, only 298 people had actually had their addresses changed, while the remainder had no choice but to wait patiently for the prime minister to make good on his promise. It now appears that the Ramadan group of “over 1,900 residents” actually represents a part of the same, original 5,000. So, to date, Israel has changed the addresses of just 2,254 people – less than half the number promised in February. In short: take some cold leftover gestures from February, reheat them, and serve them up as new in August!

Another gesture announced by Israel is to allow export of textiles, furnitureand agricultural products, namely potatoes. It turns out that export of these products will only be allowed to Arab countries or Europe – not to Israel and the West Bank, the traditional market for Gaza’s goods. Even if we assume that these export channels are potentially profitable (highly doubtful), Israel has not specified how many trucks of merchandise will be allowed to leave the Gaza Strip. Moreover, it is unclear whether the permission to export will still be in effect after the end of Ramadan. Leaving these questions aside, it is worth recalling that this is not the first time that the Israeli government has announced relaxations in restrictions on export.

Despite repeated government announcements – in December, February and April –of impending relaxations in restrictions on exports from the Gaza Strip, in reality the rate of export has actually declined. Between November 2010 and May 2011, Israel allowed an average of just 2.5 trucks a day to leave the Gaza Strip. Since May 12^th, not a single truck has left the area. The gap between promises and reality could hardly be wider.

Whatis new?

Erez Crossing. Photo: PHR Israel

There are some new components in the Ramadan gestures, such as a promise to increase the number of merchants allowed to enter Israel and the West Bank. Once again, however, no specific numbers are provided. It is worth recalling that, prior to the Second Intifada, 500,000 exit permits were granted to Palestinian workers alonetraveling between the Gaza Strip and Israel during the months July through September. Today, Erez Crossingis almost entirely closed to passenger traffic, with the exception of prominent merchants and urgent humanitarian cases. Smaller-scale merchants and students wishing to study in the West Bank, for example, cannot obtain permits to leave the Gaza Strip, despite the avowed goal to develop the area’s economy.

Israel has also announced the transfer of three million cubic meters of water to the Gaza Strip per year, in an effort to improve the quantity and quality of drinking water in the area. The statement regarding the Ramadan gestures failed to note that this water will not be given to the Palestinians, but rathersold to them. Moreover, the sale of the water is being delayed due to negotiations over the price. Given that over 95 percent of the water in the Strip is unfit for human consumption, an additional source of clean drinking water could certainly help in improving the situation, if it actually makes its way to Gaza.

We note a similar problem regardingthe gesturesto allowthe transfer of building materials to 10 private factories in the Gaza Strip, under the supervision of the international community. Once again, it is unclear what and how much will be allowed in.Although there has recently been an increase in the range of building materials allowed into the Gaza Strip, the actual quantity of materials is still significantly below that which is required (less than 10% of what’s needed is entering). The materials are intended solely for projects funded and supervised by international organizations following the approval of the Palestinian Authority.

Gestures are all well and good. We can only hope that this time they will actually be implemented in full, and will not end up as unfulfilled promises waiting to be recycled for next time around.

Not only has the closure of Gaza failed to protect it from the virus, but the restrictions on the passage of equipment and fuel are making it difficult to contain the virus’s spread.

During the military operation last winter, 15 hospitals and 34 medical institutions were damaged, and their repair has not been possible due to Israel’s refusal to allow building materials into the Gaza Strip. While Israel boasts of permitting increased quantities of humanitarian aid to Gaza, it continues to restrict the entrance of medical supplies, claiming security risks. Thus, Israel is making it difficult to send batteries needed for the UPS systems that protect sensitive hospital equipment during the frequent power outages and is limiting the supply of additional medical supplies, such as X-ray equipment.

The Swine Flu, however, known for its tendency to breach borders, is not treated like other illnesses, and Israel has allowed 6,000 vaccinations purchased by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah into Gaza. The vaccinations are destined for Gaza residents who participated in the pilgrimage to Mecca (the Hajj) and for the medical professionals treating patients diagnosed with the virus. It is estimated that more than 400,000 vaccinations are needed for people in high risk groups.

Allowing vaccinations through to Gaza residents is surely a nice public relations photo opportunity, but preventing the outbreak of an epidemic requires appropriate sanitary conditions and infrastructure, too. Frequent and extended blackouts (8 hours a day, 4 days a week), due to Israel’s refusal to allow the transfer of the required amount of industrial diesel to the Gaza power station, interfere with the proper functioning of local hospitals. Hospitals rely on back-up generators during the power outages, but limitations on their power production interferes with the heating and ventilation systems that are vital for maintaining proper air-pressure.  Likewise, the ongoing shortage of gas limits the ability to run hospital washing machines needed for basic hygiene. This past week, only 34% of the gas needed by Gaza residents was supplied (518 tons out of the 1,500 tons needed per week).

Other types of infrastructure systems which are needed to deal with infectious diseases are the sewerage and water purification systems, which also rely on fuel and supplies limited by Israel. A roof over the heads of the thousands of residents uprooted from their homes and the hundreds still living in tents since their homes were destroyed in the war is another basic requirement.

Some people resort to prayer to protect them from the Swine Flu. We would make do, for starters, with policies that allow the ongoing transfer of equipment required for sanitation and the proper functioning of the health system – out of respect for the rights of the 1.5 million people who live in the Gaza Strip.

In this week’s post we provide context for the MFA’s (mostly) correct numbers.

Israel’s policy in the Gaza Strip: Permit the entrance of humanitarian aid ONLY – no development, no prosperity, no economic activity.

Food: No luxury, no production

True: “All food products are brought into the Gaza Strip, except for those that definitely constitute luxury items”.

More true: Did you know that honey and canned fruit, which have been banned since the beginning of the closure, definitely constitute luxury items? Or that, for 8 months, tea definitely constituted a luxury item, until it was suddenly permitted into Gaza about two months ago, indicating that maybe it is not a luxury item after all? On the other hand, pasta is definitely not a luxury item anymore, since Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressed concern about obstacles to the entrance of aid in February. Margarine in small packets is not a luxury item, but margarine in large buckets is definitely a luxury item, because it could then be used as a raw material for local food production, giving Palestinian residents of Gaza the luxury of engaging in productive work.

There are no published lists of what kinds of goods can and cannot enter, and Israel has refused to explain which products constitute a luxury, and which don’t. Without some kind of list – how are we to know?

Unemployment: Revealing all the numbers

True: Unemployment in Gaza dropped from 45.5% in the second quarter of 2008 to 36% in the second quarter of 2009.

More true: According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the reason for the second quarter drop in unemployment may have been that temporary relief projects, especially for clearing rubble after the military operation, were initiated by international organizations and the local government. The MFA neglects to mention that in the third quarter of 2009 unemployment again rose to 42.3%, as these temporary relief projects ended. Compare this with 32.3% unemployment in June 2007, just before the closure began.

Fuel and electricity: Not meeting needs

True: Israel meets the minimum threshold set by the Israeli High Court for the passage of industrial diesel for electricity production at the Gaza power plant.

More true: The minimum threshold for industrial diesel set by the court is far below what Gaza needs. In fact, the industrial diesel that was transferred in the month of November met just 39.1% percent of needs, creating power outages.

Re-building projects: A drop in the bucket

True: “Israel is conducting discussions with the Palestinian Authority, the US, EU representatives in the area and others, with the aim of establishing an agreed-upon supervisory mechanism, subject to international standards, which will ensure, if and when a decision is made to that effect, that monies, materials and equipment that are brought into the Gaza Strip for vita humanitarian projects actually reach their destinations”.

More true: Israel has refused to allow reconstruction materials to enter Gaza, despite “discussions” that have taken place over the past 11 months. Gaza needs at least 25,000 tons of iron and 40,000 tons of cement for reconstruction. Since the war, Israel has blocked all but 19 trucks of construction materials permitted to enter on an exceptional basis for the humanitarian infrastructure (i.e. water and sewage systems), though restrictions on other materials mean that infrastructure continues to function below capacity (see below). Without reconstruction materials it is impossible to rebuild the more than 3,500 homes destroyed and the approximately 56,000 homes damaged, in addition to over a thousand businesses, factories, and other commercial establishments destroyed and partially damaged during the war. Even if construction materials were permitted in to fix the estimated $45 million in damage to private sector establishments, the ban on import and export ensures that these businesses would likely lay idle, as 97% of factories generally have done so for over two and half years. Some cement enters via the tunnels beneath the Gaza-Egypt border, but prices are beyond the reach of most residents, and many international organizations are restricted from using these materials.

Water, Sewage and Electricity Infrastructure

True: “Israel is conducting a dialogue with Robert Serry, special emissary of the UN Secretary-General, regarding vital humanitarian projects, primarily relating to sewer systems”.

More True: Dialogue notwithstanding, Israeli restrictions on supply of spare parts and materials for the devastated water and electricity systems mean that 10,000 people are without running water, 40,000 people are cut off from electricity, and power outages lasting 8 hours, four times per week are a common occurrence in most homes.

Education: Children paying the price

True: UNRWA schools recently received shipments of education materials, including notebooks and pencils.

More true: UNRWA is the only agency permitted to receive school supplies in Gaza, and only after Israel delayed the entrance of these items for several months. Israel continues to ban the entrance of supplies for two-thirds of the schools in Gaza, the private and government-run schools which educate 240,199 children.

The final section of the MFA newsletter includes a quote by EU Special Representative to the Middle East, Marc Otte. Find here another important statement made by Marc Otte recently in an interview for Al Quds newspaper, describing the EU position on the closure:

“[The] Gaza closure and denying entry to construction materials is morally unacceptable and is a failure. I was in Gaza last week, there were large quantities of cement in Gaza, but the only people who do not get it are the ones who most need it. For this, ban on constructions materials is not acceptable and I have explained this to the Israelis and told them that this is also not in their interest. Our position is clear, especially that winter is coming, and people can not live in tents in the cold and under the rain”.

Post-script: a perceptive reader pointed out to us that in a November 24^thbriefing to the Security Council, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Mr. Haile Menkerios, made comments in reference to the stalled Serry Plan mentioned in the MFA newsletter:

“Beyond immediate humanitarian needs and the water and sanitation sector, I regret to inform the Security Council that the United Nations has not yet received a satisfactory response from the Israeli government to the proposal, put forward in May, to complete $77 million of stalled UNRWA and UNDP projects in the area of housing units and school and health facilities. The UN has left no stone unturned in seeking approval of this package in extensive consultations with the Israeli authorities, and is confident of its capacity to ensure the integrity of programming. It is completely unacceptable that no meaningful progress has been made in kick-starting UN civilian construction activities essential for the well-being and recovery of a war- and blockade-affected population, half of whom are children”.