Jerusalem-forum@wanadoo.jo

UN Palestine by Saira W. Soufan

UN Resolutions and Palestine

Peace Proposals

The United Nations World Food Program, (WFP), launched an emergency operation on May the 21st, to help feed approximately one half million non-refugee Palestinians, who are no longer able to afford their basic needs amidst drastically deteriorating living conditions in Occupied Palestine.

The WFP hopes to help the most needy of those Palestinians with about 70,000 tons of food to provide for their basic needs till the end of the year, due to the onslaught of the Israeli Occupation Forces siege upon them and their families.  According to a report from the United Nations, (#17, dated April 26, 2002), malnutrition is on the rise in the Occupied Territories, due to the total blockade imposed by the Israeli Occupation Authorities.  Recent estimates indicate a 10.4% increase in the incidence of low birth weights and a 52% increase in the still birth rate in Palestine.

“Hunger and malnutrition are rapidly increasing among the Palestinians.  Even when food is available in some of the markets, many impoverished Palestinians have become increasingly unable to meet all their food needs,” said WFP Regional Director Khaled  Adly who has recently visited the territories.  “The situation is quite alarming and an increasing number of families over the past six months have been forced to reduce their food intake to make ends meet.”

Before the latest Israeli siege, the Occupied Territories were already in a state of crisis with as many as 180,000 people having lost their jobs over the previous 18 months, the second Intifada.  “The latest Israeli military incursions have dealt a hard blow to an already vulnerable economy pushing many Palestinians into destitution,” Adly said.

Of particular concern to the food aid agency of the United Nations are some 360,000 extremely poor Palestinians, 60% of whom belong to families where the breadwinner is a single mother, elderly, handicapped or chronically ill.  WFP assistance will also go to help about 130,000 Palestinians who have lost their income as one or more members of the family lost their jobs in Israeli Occupied areas, due to security measures.

As well, many hospitals and other social institutions have become unable to meet all the food needs of poor Palestinians using their services.  WFP is to provide food aid to about 10,000 people in these institutions including children, anemic women and the elderly.  In UN report #18, dated May 3, 2002, since March 29, the WFP has been able to distribute food in hospitals and institutions in Nablus, Ramallah, and Bethlehem and plans to go to Hebron, Qalqilya, and Tulkarem starting May 2002.  Food has been distributed in all provinces of Gaza and also positioned in hospitals in case there is a military escalation. 

In closing, the major effect of the crisis, from a humanitarian point of view, is found in the closures and curfews imposed by the Israeli Occupation forces on the city and their repercussions on the economy, rather than in the damages causes by the occupation itself.