Situation Update
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The UNSCO offers monthly briefings on the Middle East peace process.
Following the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, Israel has imposed an unprecedented blockade on all border crossings in and out of the Gaza Strip.1 The blockade has ‘locked in’ 1.5 million people in what is one of the most densely populated areas on earth, triggering a protracted human dignity crisis with negative humanitarian consequences. At the heart of this crisis is the degradation in the living conditions of the population, caused by the erosion of livelihoods and the gradual decline in the state of infrastructure, and the quality of vital services in the areas of health, water and sanitation, and education.
A fact sheet on childern, education and blockade.
Detailed maps of West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem governorates, featuring all the checkpoints and obstacles to Palestinian movement including the West Bank Barrier, Israeli settlements, restricted roads and closed areas.
This OCHA Special Focus reports 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. Only 13% of Bethlehem land is available for Palestinian use out of 660 sq. kilometers and much of it is fragmented.
This OCHA Special Focus addresses the phenomenon of "illegal" Palestinian construction in East Jerusalem, the failure of the Israeli authorities to provide adequate planning for Palestinian neighborhoods and gives an overview of at-risk communities and various community initiatives to overcome obstacles in the current municipal planning process.
Palestinian Christians are under many pressures that put the community at risk. This small booklet is the most comprehensive source available for up-to-date information on the community. Diyar is a consortium of Lutheran-based, ecumenically-oriented institutions serving the whole Palestinian community. (Edited by Rania Al Qass Collings, Rifat Odeh Kassis, and Mitri Raheb.)
This report was released by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as a briefing paper designed to aid UNRWA in understanding the economic impacts of the tumultuous conditions of 2007. The paper includes information on trends, poverty by region, and the effectiveness of external assistance.
The views expressed in these materials represent the positions of outside organizations and may not necessarily reflect an official position of the ELCA.