Living Conditions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank
By
Wahida C.Valiante
BA (Psychology) BSW, MSW, OASW
Introduction
Although, Israel occupied the West Bank and the Gaza Strip from 1967 until the
formation of Palestinian National Authority (PLA), it has left no positive
legacy in terms of infra structural development, roads, housing, educational
facilities, or in the socio-economic conditions of the population that I visited.
Palestinians are living without adequate schools, hospitals, roads, sewers,
clean running water, or proper health, housing and social services. Adding to
this legacy of utter neglect are the deteriorating economic conditions,
since 1993, caused by direct Israeli measures that restrict the movements of
both people and goods through the Palestinian territories and the outside world.
My own personal experience, as I went through the Erez checkpoint to enter Gaze,
was enough to convince me of the immense difficulties, danger and frustrations
faced by Palestinians who need to go to other parts of West Bank for medical
services, work, visit relatives, or conduct business.
Furthermore, repeated arrests, torture, intimidation, humiliation, and on
going demolition of Palestinian homes, in an accelerated pace since Mr.
Barak’s election, has only adds more stress to the daily lives of the average
Palestinian. This sustained stress continues to perpetuate an environment of
emotional, psychological and physical insecurity, for families and particularly
for children, who find it exceedingly difficult to cope with persistent fear,
insecurity and intimidation. Such emotions and feelings deprive Palestinian
children of psychologically and physically safe space in which to grow and
develop their sense of self. However, I would like to add that in general
the undermining tactics employed by Israeli authorities to disrupt the social
fabric of Palestinian society and family, in great measures, have failed to
diminish either the family closeness, or undermine the resilience and strong
sense of self-identity of the Palestinian people. I met, stayed with and
was hosted by very strong, warm and hospitable people.
Forty-four per cent of Palestinians are refugees who live in overcrowded centers that are without clean water, sewer, or sufficient living space. These refugees are still waiting and hoping that one day they might be able to go back to their homes; or may be enjoy the same economic and social conditions as their neighbors, the Israelis. Like their neighbors, they too want to dream and plan for the future of their children, build houses without fear of demolition, and reconstruct their society and economy without intimidation or fear. They also dream of the day when they will have freedom of movement without Israeli check points and security forces, when they will be able to attend schools and universities of their choice, and have access to medical services and jobs, and to visit their loved ones.
During my visit to women’s educational program in one of the largest refugee camps, I was told, “there is no peace and security for us.” One woman said,“ there is no guarantee that they will not take more of our land, if I build something on my land-small land- Israeli can take it away any time they want.” “I have been in this camp for 32 years- we still have new refugees joining the refugee camps because the Israeli are still demolishing our homes and taking our land.” Another woman pointed out that, “the financial support we receive from the UNRWA is not enough to feed, educate and house our children. And there are no jobs in Gaza and the West Bank, and the Israeli do not allow my husband to work inside Israel any more because he participated in the struggle (Intifada).” I was also told that as soon as one member of the family finds a job, their support payments are decreased accordingly, thus these refugee can never gain the upper hand in both economic and social conditions. “Some UNRWA support is means- tested and distributed only to particular needy households, the “special hardship cases.” (FAFO Report, 1993). I found no shortages of “special hardship cases” which were not receiving support from UNRWA, but only through the Muslim charities from all over the world. I heard the same story in Gaza refugee camps and other parts of the West Bank that I visited.
This report examines the living conditions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, and will review recent studies on living conditions of Palestinians in the Old City of Jerusalem. Additional information was gathered by the author during personal informal interviews with refugee families, students, youth, municipal officials, teachers, doctors, directors of several NGOs (non-governmental agencies), social workers, psychologist, welfare workers, family counselor, and community leaders.
The purpose of this report is to review programs currently being supported by the Jerusalem Fund of Canada (which sponsored the author’s thirteen-day trip to the West Bank and Gaza Strip as part of a medical team) and to identify future areas for community development, education and training. Particular emphasis is on programs that would promote self-reliance for mature women; for girls who married very young and are now divorced (or widowed) with dependent children in their care; and for young male adults who dropped out of school during frequent closures and arrests.
Although Palestinian society is traditionally patriarchal in its philosophy on women’s status and roles, it is also very keenly aware of the need to implement Islamic world-view on gender equality, one that calls for the intellectual, mental, and physical development of both male and female children and adults. Several individuals identified the increase in the number of girls staying in schools and going on to university as one of the very positive outcome of the Intifada. According to one group of mothers that I met in Raffah who would like to see some loans become available for their daughters to start day-care centers and computer training schools: “One thing very good happened for women because of the Intifada (struggle). Now there are more girls (than boys) staying in schools and going on to universities… But the girls have no job opportunities, and we are sacrificing everything to send them for education. What good is education if they cannot find employment? And it will be hard for them now to get married, because of age and (higher) education.” They added that “most of the financial and charitable help is for orphans and poor families, but nothing goes toward women’s education and job-training.”
In conclusion this report will make recommendations in the area of economic and social self-development, based on needs already identified by several studies, and by professionals, ordinary citizens, youth both male and female, families and government officials that I met during my visit.
The living conditions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip
What I found most alarming and disturbing was the general level of pessimism expressed by men, women and youth about the state of the economy and the future of peace process. A young school teacher summed it up well by pointing out at the end of our conversation, “the only thing peace process has done is to make our prisons bit bigger than before, but we are still in prisons. “And because of this peace process we find our-self in an suspended animation, we can not go forward and we can not go backward, so we just wait for what, while Israelis continue to demolish homes and expand illegal settlements.“
Same pessimism was apparent during my conversation with several students and professionals regarding the deteriorating state of the economy, high rate of unemployment and deteriorating social conditions. Following are some of the outcomes of several studies done on the living conditions of Palestinian in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since 1993 to highlight the role of Jerusalem Fund in helping the most vulnerable population such as children, women and the elderly.
“Since 1993, international donor assistance to the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has served to cushion the affect of declining living conditions.” “… Beginning with the 1987 intifada (or uprising) in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and intensified after 1993, the Palestinian economy has been subjected to repeated shocks. These shocks have mainly been linked to an increasingly strict regime of movement restriction applied to both persons and goods entering or leaving the West Bank and Gaza Strip. On many occasions, particularly since 1993, no movement has been allowed in or out of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, causing considerable loses to the Palestinian economy.” (FAFO, 1993 Report, Developing Palestinian Society)
The “Living conditions of Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have drastically deteriorated since the peace process. “ Preventing the majority of Palestinian employees from working inside Israel and allowing only 25% from the West Bank and 16% from Gaza Strip to work inside Israel under complex procedures causing an increase of unemployment and decrease of salaries which effects the general economy.” (Abu Kaff 1999)
“These closures and the broader system of movement restrictions are beginning to register a cumulative effect observable in a shift from a wage-based economy towards a rapid increase in marginal, low-productivity, and low-income generating informal-sector activity. Should this trend continue for another five to ten years, there will be a profound negative consequences for Palestinian society.” If not address soon, this combination of steadily declining living standards and rapid population growth will threaten to set back Palestinian social and economic development… the quality and coverage of education and health care at all levels will decline.” (FAFO, 1993)
And furthermore“… the Israeli monopoly on export and import is a serious threat to living conditions of Palestinians due to expensive taxes on imported Palestinian goods, and difficulties in exporting Palestinian goods… “By preventing the marketing of the Palestinian products inside the Israeli markets through expensive fines levied against the traders who market the Palestinian products inside Israeli markets… On the other hand the Palestinian lands are the main markets for the Israeli products.” (FAFO, 1993)
In addition ” The rate of increase in unemployment in the labor force, in the Palestinian land is 21%, and increase in single parent homes (led by a widow) is 53,670, and 43,627 children (under 18) are living with their mothers without fathers. Out of 53,670 single parents (female), only 20% of the women are employed and the rest of the 87.7% are outside the labor force.” (Abu Kaff 1999)
This projected decline in health care, educational facilities and social services is very evident throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Children do not have access to medical or dental check ups, even eye examination are ignored, and this has resulted in several cases of children going blind. If there were adequate medical services, these unfortunate incidents could have been prevented.
Living Conditions of the Palestinian in the Old City of Jerusalem
The living conditions of the Palestinian population in the Old City of Jerusalem are not different either. The heightened anxiety and tension due to daily demolition of Palestinian homes for new settlements, and the status of Jerusalem in future negotiations only makes life more difficult for the average Palestinian. A study by the Society of Austria-Arab Relations in1996 found that, “there is a policy of blatant discrimination in planning and development against Palestinian as well as in housing site capacity, Municipal planning schemes for Jewish settlements have been used to restrict the growth of Palestinian neighbourhoods. As a result of these policies, the housing crisis for Palestinian in East Jerusalem is now critical…”
“In addition to discriminatory practices in housing construction and land, Palestinians face economic pressure in the form of taxation, primary arnona: It is illegal “since the international law specifically prohibits the imposition of new tax by an occupying power. Taxes collected from Palestinian residents cover 26 percent of the costs of the city’s municipal services but Palestinian residents receive only 5 percent of those services. Additionally Palestinians are placed in higher taxes despite their relative inability to pay…”(Austria-Arab, 1996)
Furthermore “these various measures compounded by the isolation of Jerusalem from the West Bank (on which it’s economically dependent) since March 1993, together have resulted in a deep economic recession which has escalated the deterioration of living conditions for Palestinians and increased the unemployment rate.” We are waiting for fifty years, and we are still waiting to have our own land, on which we can built, without any Israeli secret police or army searching and confiscating our land and demolishing our houses, and establish our own economy and job.” (Austria-Arab, 1996)
Psycho-social Impact of Socio-economic Conditions on Children &Youth
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, “in 1997 there were 1,873,300 people living in the West Bank and 1,022,000 in the Gaza Strip, of which 44% are refugees… “40 % of Palestinian in Gaza and 11% in the West Bank live below poverty line. The number of children under 19 is 1,546,000… 49% are female and 51% are males. The children constitute more than half the total population of 2,8955000. This does not include the Palestinian population of East Jerusalem, which was annexed in 1967.”
Included in these statistic are orphans many of whom lost their fathers during the up rising (Intifada), and many more who are emotionally, and psychologically scared because of what they have seen and experienced during the occupation. Children have been severely injured by the Israeli bullets while throwing stones and burning tires in the streets of Gaza and the West Bank. Others have droped out of school because of overcrowding and stressed out teachers who often resort to physical punishment as a method for teaching and maintaining discipline. And in many instances children also have lashed out at the teachers because of physical abuse. I spoke to a group of schoolchildren from a refugee camp about their interest in education and future prospects. The answers spoke volumes about their feelings: “ We have only one school and two shifts, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with 40-50 students in each class. And we have no where to go and play, so we just run around the school; we talk in the class and the teachers get mad and physically beat us.” Some pointed out that, “we do not need education to work in Israel, and there are no jobs in the West Bank.”
A study conducted by a psychologist among 10-14,15-18, & 19-22 year olds in refugee camps throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip reflects their sense of reality. “All groups identified the political situation as the main risk factor to a healthy life. The younger group identified the impact of such political instability in personal terms such as father working in Israel… and when there is a closure, the father gets angry and the whole house is then effected by his anger.” “Deteriorating economic condition lead to stress and anger and the fear of their fathers not returning if anything happened at work. (Stress also occurs) because of fathers not being able to work due to Israeli checkpoint and barriers limiting travel. Most cannot even travel to West Bank even for a visit.”
“For older groups, the occupation symbolized the futility of hoping for a better future. Many cited the glory of intifada days, when youth had been and were eager to participate in the “struggle”. “However, many felt that the peace process did not bring about any positive changes, leaving many youth disenfranchised and cheated. Disenfranchised because they lost their primary roles in the political struggle, and cheated because they do not feel the peace process has brought, or will bring, the Occupation and its effects to an end.”
According to Society for Austro-Arab Relations, “Forty-four percent of both male and females aged 10 years old and older had dropped out of school prior to finishing the Tawjihi… It was clear that the family’s financial situation played a major role in a student’s decision to leave school, with most going to work and help support their families.”
One young psychologist pointed out to me “that we are producing consumers only, because so many of young male are dropping out of schools and are going to Israel to do menial jobs to buy goods and food for their families. One English teacher I spoke to echoed the same sentiment. “More high rate of school-drop out, boys more than girls, seeking low paying jobs in Israel without any future and benefits, early marriages-mostly girls because of poverty, lack of education and employment skills and due to parent pressure.”
“Forty-three percent of the ever-married women had married young below 16 years of age… This relatively high rate of early marriage is due largely to the economic and social constraints which encourage parents to lessen their burdens by marrying off their daughters (i.e., after she is married they won’t need to spend any money on her).” (Austro-Arab Relations 1996)
Furthermore the study found that the young people in discussion groups “suffered from low morale and depression over their future…. There are few jobs and usually the houses are crowded so they go out most of the time…. There is a problem of young people becoming bored, isolated, with nothing to do, and turning to delinquent behaviour (or sometimes being manipulated by the Israeli security services, the Shin Bet, into drug use or collaboration).”
“In addition there are many young people who were arrested or imprisoned or injured during the intifada (struggle) now facing unemployment and lack of opportunity or prospects for future… In many cases their education was disrupted, due to closure of schools and universities by the Israeli authorities.”
Conclusion
Based on the above statistics and facts, charities such as Jerusalem Fund for Human Services (JFHS) in Canada play a very vital role in augmenting the lives of orphans, and poor families through establishing educational institutions in partnership with local NGOs. (JFHS) has been responsible for equipping hospitals with surgical and maternity wards and health care clinics with equipment and furnishings, setting up women’s enterprises such as sewing and retailing, and financing the Gaza Strip’s first daycare program. The organization also undertakes variety of very needed projects and programs such as distributing food packages during the month of Ramadan and providing winter cloths, school bag, and school supplies for children.
However, for Palestinians to increase their knowledge and skills through training and education or start a small business enterprise requires small-scale capital and training. Based on the studies sighted through out the body of this report, it is quite clear that over half the population is under 18 and therefore requires health care, social assistance, and education and future vocational training and skills in order to achieve self-sufficiency. Over the years, I believe that the Jerusalem Fund has established good working relationships with local charities and NGOs. It is in an excellent position to work towards self sustaining community development projects that will provide education and training for the young people, so they can gain skills and develop self-confidence and become self- sufficient. I also believe that Muslim community in Canada and the Canadian Government can partner with Jerusalem Fund to sponsor and finance project that are specifically geared toward young people, both men and women.
The flip side of the coin is that if things are allowed to proceed as they have since 1993, without any focus and direction for the young people, then as one youth worker pointed out, they will continue to work for low wages without any future and security. “Chances are that they will be prone to depression, aggression, and psychological and emotional problems, and these can have a very deleterious effect on the well being of the individual and the society.” Surprisingly there has been no study done on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder among Palestinian youths who have been subjected to repeated emotional shocks and severe trauma. Children are the future of Palestinian society, and are its human resources for reconstructing and rebuilding a civil society. Therefore it is important that we invest in their psychological and emotional wellbeing so they become productive and useful citizens.
I also believe that young girls and women must be encouraged and given an equal opportunity, like their counter part, to play a active public role in building of Palestinian society, both its structure and economy. During the early history of Islam, under the leadership of the Prophet Muhammad, women fully participated in the public life of the emerging civil society as teachers, professors jurists, entrepreneurs; they even participated in wars and argued with the Prophet himself in the Mosque on issues of importance. The Qur’an makes no distinction between men and women as vicegerent of Allah; both are morally responsible for establishing a just and peaceful society. Furthermore, women as mothers and as future mothers exert tremendous influence on the emerging personalities of children. Therefore, they need to have the proper educational tools and knowledge to guide them to become productive and responsible citizens in a very complex world.
In conclusion, I believe that the following recommendations, if implemented, will contribute towards the development of Palestinian civil society and the empowerment of its citizens through self-reliance and self-development.
Recommendations
- Transfer of computer technology through donations of computers, software programs, and training for both men and women.
- Establishment of micro-credit loans to female small-business entrepreneurs, including young male ex-prisoners and those who dropped out of school early to gain work experience.
- Training of social workers in the areas of medical social work, counseling, family education and domestic violence. Counseling is a must in the rehabilitation of ex-prisoners, since the majority of them have gone through psychological, physical and emotional torture and trauma. Social services and counseling are an important component in preventing deviant behavior, violence and self-destructive behavior.
- Provide scholarships for Palestinian students to study in Canada, including vocational on-the-job training; and sponsorship of children in elementary school.
- Establish partnerships between individual Canadian (Masjids) Mosques and Palestinian NGOs for supplying schools with library books and lab equipment.
- Sharing skills through teacher exchange programs for training in conflict resolution and alternative methods of discipline.
- Establishing Kindergartens and training of Palestinian high school graduates, especially women, in early childhood education and skills.
- Education and services for the seniors and their families.
- Sponsoring library resource materials, such as journals, articles, and books on mental health, social work, counseling techniques, education and science.
- Transfer knowledge in diverse fields through training and exchange of information.
References
- Abu Kaff, Khaled. The Palestinian Economic And Living Situation in the Palestinian Areas (The West Bank & Gaza Strip), Jerusalem, 1999
- FAFO-Report. 242: Developing Palestinian Society: Summary Conclusion, Netherlands, 1993.
- Najwa Rizkallah Khader: Socio-economic and Health Profile of the Palestinian Arab Inhabitants of the Old City of Jerusalem Jerusalem: Society for Austro-Arab Relations, March 1996.
- Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics: Population, Housing and Establishment Census-1997: Summary of Census Results, January 1999. Palestinian national Authority.
- The Perspective of Youth: A study of Youth perspective throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Al-Lod Charity, Nablus, 1996.
- Washington Report on Middle East Affairs. (Vol. X1X. N0. 1 January/February 2000), Washington DC, 2000.
Wahida C. Valiante is a professional social worker and family counselor. She is the national Vice-president of the Canadian Islamic Congress.
