UN OCHA Office - East Jerusalem

This afternoon we met with OCHA, the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which was really fascinating for me, because I have for quite a while now been interested in working for the UN.  Our time with OCHA was relatively formal in that we were presented official UN statistics and positions.  The woman who gave us the presentation was a very, very knowledgeable person whose work as an Israeli is to educate Israeli citizens.

We were presented with a a great deal of information during this session and here is some of the information, which was especially striking to me:

  Gaza:

• There are 1.43 million people living in Gaza over which about 1 million are refugees, which means that the places is a crowded 3 881 people per square kilometer.  
• The population of Gaza is of course poor, but also young.  About 79% of Gazans are aid dependent and 54% of the population is under 18.
• The 2007 Israeli blockade (still in effect) has resulted in 100 000 jobs lost, 95% of private businesses closing, a drastic reduction of electricity, a deterioration of water supply and sanitation, and impeded hospital functioning prior to Operation Cast Lead (known also as the War on Gaza) in 2008-2009.  
• During Operation Cast Lead, 1.4 million civiliands were left unprotected and there were 1383 Palestinian fatalities (including 350 children) and 5 303 Palestinians injuries (MoH).  Civilian fatalities are disputed.  Palestinian sources say between 73% and 88% and the IDF say between 25% and 39%.  
• The official OCHA position on Gaza is threefold. 1. Lift restrictions on Gaza crossings 2. Allow free access to agricultural and fishing areas 3. Allow access for goods and people between Gaza and the West Bank

  West Bank and East Jerusalem:

• OCHA sees the key issues in this region as being: house demolitions, settler violence, mouvement and access restriction, shrinking Palestinian access
• There are 149 settlements and 100 outposts in the West Bank totaling 500 000 people.
• The West Bank is divided into three zones: Area A, B, and C. Israelis are forbidden frrom entering Area A and recommended not to enter Area B (this only further prevents Israelis from knowing the truth about the occupation).
• 605 of the West Bank is in Area C, but only 1 % of Area C is planned for Palestinian development, Palestinian construction is prohibited in 70% of the area is restricted in 29% of Area C.  150 000 people live in Area C, but there are 3 000 orders for demolition pending and about 200 homes are demolished a year.
• In East Jerusalem, 30% of the land is unplanned, 13% of the land is zoned for Palestinians, 35% is zoned for settlements, and 22% is zoned for green areas and public infrastructure.
• In East Jerusalem, about 60 000 homes are vulnerable, 1 500 houses have pending demolition orders, and about 100 houses are demolished a year.