3. Israeli Violations of Economic and Social Rights During the Current Intifada

The extension of Israel’s military occupation through land confiscation, settlements, and closure sparked the current crisis, and now provide the infrastructure that enables Israel to impose its severe and crippling military blockade on the OPT. Almost all Palestinian population centers are today under military siege, with no exit or entry permitted for trade, work, or even medical emergencies. The office of the United Nations Special Coordinator (UNSCO) has documented the devastating economic effects of the Israeli siege, estimating daily aggregate losses at $11 million, more than 50% of GDP, not including property damage.

The effects of specific Israeli practices during the current intifada have been well-documented by UNSCO, the World Bank, the HRIC and independent organizations, and include the following examples:

• During the first four months of the intifada, Israel imposed internal closure 100% of the time in the West Bank and 89% in Gaza.
• In addition to sealing the border with Israel, the IDF has closed border crossings to Jordan and Egypt, during much of the period, restricting Palestinian access to the outside world.
• The IDF has prevented medical aid and personnel from reaching injured Palestinians and has attacked clearly marked medical vehicles.
• Israeli use of heavy weapons has destroyed civilian infrastructure including utilities, schools, homes, roads, cars and other property throughout the OPT; more than 3,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed.
• The IDF has bulldozed thousands of acres of Palestinian orchards and farmland near Israeli settlements and by-pass road, and prevented farmers from harvesting their crops.
• Numerous schools have been closed and students and teachers have been able to reach their educational institutions due to closure, curfew and siege; recently the area around Birzeit University was blockaded and the University was forced to close, affecting 6,000 students.
• There is a grave water shortage due to destruction of water infrastructure, lack of mobility for water vendors, and lack of service from Mekorot (Israeli water company).
• Core unemployment rates in the OPT have tripled to about 40%, with 130,000 laborers unable to get to their jobs in Israel.
• The number of Palestinians living in poverty has risen 50% to about 1 million persons.

The HRIC report documents blockade-related violations of a wide range of human rights and humanitarian laws, including the rights to life, food, health, education, housing and an adequate standard of living. The report concludes that:

internal closures seem to have a mainly punitive character quite unrelated to security and are more likely to have the opposite effect by inflaming Palestinian resistance… the comprehensive and protracted closure as well as the scale and nature of the destruction of property of Palestinian civilians is best regarded as collective punishment. (p. 27, p. 33, para. 16)