IMEU : Development & Economy

Humanitarian Crisis in the Gaza Strip (IMEU)

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:40:00 PST

On the morning of November 2nd, two boats carrying nearly 30 international human rights activists from five countries set sail from Turkish ports to challenge Israel's illegal blockade and siege of the Gaza Strip. Among the passengers is an American, Kitt Kittredge, of Washington State. Dubbed "Freedom Wave to Gaza" this effort follows Freedom Flotilla II which comprised ten ships with civilians from 22 countries who attempted to sail for the Gaza Strip in July of 2011 but were thwarted as a result of Israeli pressure.

Gaza Strip: Two years through siege (Palestine Trade Center)

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:11:00 PST

After two years of closure, punctuated by the Gaza War, there has been no improvement at the crossings. The ability to rebuild Gaza and revitalize its economy is dependent on fully opening the commercial crossings to permit inbound movements of industrial inputs, construction materials, and equipment, as well as outbound movement of finished products into local and external markets. The opening of the crossings is not yet occurring.

Assessment of small ruminant breeders in rural Hebron, Jericho, Bethlehem and Ramallah (Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development and Food and Agriculture Organization)

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:18:11 PST

This survey, which covered both rural farmer and Bedouin households, aimed to produce a comprehensive outline of the problems and vulnerabilities facing these households. As such the following areas were included: Socio-economic Information; Flock Characteristics; Animal Health; Feeding System; Herd Management and Reproduction; Meat and Dairy Production; Water Availability.

Poverty in the occupied Palestinian territory 2007 (UNRWA)

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:00:50 PST

The cause of unprecedented poverty in the oPt is the socio-economic crisis that began in late 2000. The root cause of the crisis remains the system of mobility restrictions in the West Bank, the almost total siege of Gaza, and the isolation of the two territories from each other and the outside world by the Government of Israel.

Shrinking space: Urban contraction and rural fragmentation in the Bethlehem governorate (OCHA)

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:56:59 PST

This report 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. In the eastern governorate, administrative restrictions also limit the potential for urban expansion, grazing, and for planning and development at the governorate level.

A brief outline of the sewage infrastructure and public health risks in the Gaza Strip for the WHO (Emergency Water and Sanitation/Hygiene)

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:12:56 PST

The siege and recent violent military invasion of the Gaza Strip by Israel has put additional pressure on the long standing undeveloped sewage infrastructure of the Gaza Strip. A simple visible manifestation of this is the significant volume of raw and partially treated sewage discharging into the environment and the Mediterranean Sea at multiple points along the coast line of the Gaza Strip.

Assessment of restrictions on Palestinian water sector development (World Bank)

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:02:12 PST

Palestinians abstract about 20% of the "estimated potential" of the aquifers that underlie both the West Bank and Israel. Israel abstracts the balance, and in addition overdraws without JWC approval on the "estimated potential" by more than 50%, up to 1.8 times its share under Oslo. Over-extraction by deep wells combined with reduced recharge has created risks for the aquifers and a decline in water available to Palestinians through shallower wells.

Palestinian trade: West Bank routes (World Bank)

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:48:37 PST

To access the wider world market, Palestinian enterprises must first face the challenge of moving within the West Bank itself. The numerous Israeli road blocks, closed areas, restricted roads and growing settlements have cut the Palestinian communities into isolated cantons, which raise transportation costs and significantly limits the ability of Palestinian enterprises to achieve economies of scale.

West Bank and Gaza financial sector review (World Bank)

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:43:39 PST

The formal financial sector in West Bank and Gaza emerged some 15 years ago, after 1993-1994 with the signing of the Oslo Accord in 1993 and the Paris Protocol in 1994. The latter provided Palestinians the authority to administer monetary and financial affairs in order to support the expected economic growth. Those expectations were never fully realized because of on-going restrictions on mobility of persons and goods and on access to natural and financial resources imposed by Israel.

The olive harvest in the West Bank and Gaza (OCHA)

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 01:00:54 PST

Olives are a centuries-old mainstay of the Palestinian economy, with the soil and climate producing some of the of the world's highest quality olive oil. The olive is also symbolic of Palestinians' roots in, and attachment to, the land. Some 45% of agricultural land (over 900,000 dunums) is planted with an estimated 10 million olive trees, with the potential to produce between 32,000 - 35,000 metric tons of oil.