The impact of Israeli occupation on the Palestinian health status

History of the Palestinian – Israeli conflict

In 1947, the UN proposed partitioning historic Palestine into two independent states, one Palestinian Arab (45%) and one Jewish (55%).

In 1948 Israel declared itself a state, starting a conflict in which 700,000 Palestinians were expelled. Israel then expanded to occupy 78% of the territory of historic Palestine.

Occupation of the West Bank & Gaza Strip

In the 1967 invasion Israel occupied the West Bank & Gaza Strip, which were under the control of Jordan and Egypt. The West Bank and Gaza Strip are 22% of historic Palestine.

Since 1967, Israel has expropriated some 79% of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, using it for the building of illegal Israeli settlements, by-pass roads, and military encampments.

The settlements & interconnecting roads completely prevent any territorial contiguity for the future Palestinian state.

1ST Intifada outbreak (1987)

• Civil uprising with the goal to end the Israeli occupation and establish Palestinian independence .

• Israel’s response was closing universities, deporting activists, and destroying homes.

• The signing of the Oslo accords ended it.• Over 1500 Palestinians dead and tens of

thousands injured.

Oslo Accords

• In 1993, the Palestinians signed the Oslo Peace Accords, and agreed to accept a Palestinian state on this 22% within the 1967 borders, alongside an Israeli state – on 78% of historic Palestine.

Camp David “offer

Israel - • maintains settlements• Has ‘temporary control’

over an additional 10% of the West Bank, including: entire ‘green line’ border with Israel & Palestinian territory bordering Jordan

• Any future Palestinian state unviable; a series of Bantustans

The Current Situation

The second Intifada2000

Palestinians under constant attack and collective punishment

Large numbers of civilians killed and injured

Prevention of medical treatment and humanitarian aid

Militarily imposed curfew & closure

Attacks on hospitals, ambulances and medical workers

Unemployment

Poverty

Crisis in education & health sectors

• Access is still the main obstacle facing the health community.

• Vulnerable Society .

• Disintegrated and disconnected – Road blocks and Imposed Siege

– Separation and the Creation of “Ma’azel”

• Total Control of the land and Resources

“Full Occupation“

2654 Palestinians have been killed from Sept 29th 2000 – October 15th 2003

• 22% were aged 18 or younger

• (One out of every five killed)

• 85% civilians• 60% were shot with

live ammunition

• 179 were female

Blaming The Victims“Palestinian Mothers don’t love their Children

enough”

604 children have been killed

Injuries

An estimated 46,000 Palestinians have been

injured

2,500 of those are permanently disabled,

516 of those were children

Hundreds of checkpoints & blockades at the entrances of each Palestinian city, village and town

Closure on the West Bank and Gaza strip

West Bank divided into 300 clusters, Gaza Strip into 3 creating a series of

Bantustans reminiscent of South African apartheid

Prevention of medical treatment – due to closure

• 76 Palestinians have died due to prevention of medical treatment

• 26 of those were children

• 13 were newborns

prevented an ambulance from reaching her

Dina Nasser Ishteyah4 days old, died after Israeli troops

70% of the Patients Have to Meet the Ambulance at the Checkpoint. Only 30% of the Calls Are Picked up

From Their Homes.

54 Palestinian women gave birth at the check point

or before reaching the Hospital, few such cases have resulted in the death of 31 newborn infants.

Many cases of Palestinian women in

labor delayed at checkpoints or refused

permission to reach medical facilities or for ambulances to reach

them.

At least 54 women gave birth at checkpoints

Curfew

Over 500,000 people imprisoned in their homes, unable to move to work, attend school & university, or live normally.

This collective punishment of a civilian population is in contravention of International law &

conventions

Unemployment & economic losses

Unemployment has risen drastically to 65% of total working population

– Gaza 67%

– West Bank 48%

Total loss to Palestinian economy between $3.2 –10 billion (not including

costs due to destruction)

Economic losses forcing 69% of firms to shut down or reduce

production

51% drop in GNP

75% Palestinians are currently living below

the

p o v e r t y l i n ePeople living on less than

US $ 2 per day84.6% in Gaza57.8% in the West Bank

Health Crisis

30% of children under 5 years suffer from chronic malnutrition, 21 % from acute malnutrition

45% of children under 5 years and 48% of women of childbearing age suffer from

moderate to mild anemia

More than 30% of Palestinians depend upon food handouts from NGOs and 50%

of all Palestinians require external food assistance to help meet their minimum daily caloric

intake

Attacks on medical personnel, hospitals and clinics

15 medical people killed while on duty

180 Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) workers injured

95 Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committee

workers injured

78 emergency personnel arrested

Numerous hospitals and clinics attacked & damaged

25 PRCS ambulances destroyed

Education

• 850 schools temporarily closed, 8 schools turned into military barracks

• 185 schools shelled & fired upon

• 11 schools completely destroyed

Hundreds of schools are temporarily closed,

Others completely destroyed

And many turned into military barracks

Arrests & detention

• Since 29 March 2002 more than 15,000 Palestinians detained

• 6,500 imprisoned by the Israeli army

Arrests & detention

• 1,700 Palestinians in administrative detention

• 350 children are currently in Israeli detention

•Israeli shelling &demolition.

•Destroyed 720 buildings completely

•Damaging 11,553

•Affecting 73,600 people

Including Religious Institutions 30 Mosques and

12 Churches

185 Schools

Property Damage

42% of WB/GS for settlements

- 85 new settlements

Settlement expansion

The Berlin Wall!!!!

The concrete Wall:

• 8 meters high,

• watchtowers every 400 meters,

• 30 – 100 military “buffer zone”

•Some 13 000 people

have become homeless.

• 935 Palestinian housing

units

have been demolished.

The Iron Wall

in Rafah (Gaza Strip):

The area where people are now walking, will be razed and inaccessible.

Houses,

greenhouses

and crops

will be destroyed

Economicand

Social Impacts

Do Not Turn Our Villages Into Prisons

Some 14,680 dunums

of land have been razed

for the footprint of the Wall.

Some

102,320 trees have already been uprooted to Wall.

Some were over 700 years old

To Date some 200 buildings have been demolished in the West Bank

36 groundwater wells

are isolated from their communities.

Now, 75% of the inhabitants of Qalqiliya depend on humanitarian assistance.

600 out of 1250 shops have

closed down

Qalqiliya has been a rich city.

85,000 people came to shop in the city every week.

Some 4,000 people thus far have left the city.

Yet, mass emigration is expected to begin only in one year’s time.

The Fence!!

Farmers get

beaten humiliated jailed

Example from the real life

• Nazlet ‘Isa

Once Commercial Center and Green Line Community

82 stores have been demolished

were totally dependant upon the market for survival.

Over 700 families …

The real face of the Wall

HomelessHomeless

LandlessLandless

ImprisonedImprisoned

RefugeesRefugees