The first part of this report provides a general description of the circumstances the Palestinian population are confronted with. In doing so, special emphasis is given to the four months since the start of the second Intifada1 (between late September 2000 and the end of January 2001) when a sample of 1267 Palestinians was surveyed for the purposes of this report.
After an overview of the spatial and demographic distribution of the Palestinian population and the refugees, the second section of part one will concentrate on the employment situation. The deterioration in the employment situation is one of the main problems emerging in the present crisis and is mainly an outcome of restrictions on mobility imposed upon the Palestinian population by the Israeli authorities. This will be examined in the third section. The impact of increased job losses will become clearer in the fourth section when the characteristics of the Palestinian households will be scrutinized. The consequences of the “quasi-war” situation with regard to the number of Palestinians injured or martyred and the damages inflicted on private and public property will be discussed in the fifth section. Finally, the last section of this part of the report will provide pointers that may contribute in evaluating the impact of the second Intifada on children.
Whenever possible, consideration was given to data generated from reports and surveys that were made available recently and that cover the same period of time on some issues addressed in this study.
In order to indicate the extent to which the data collected for this report are representative, it is important to compare them with some available official figures.
Projections of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), based on the 1997 census, estimated the population residing in the Palestinian territories by mid-2000 to reach 3’150’056 people. Of those, 63.9% (2’011’768) would be living in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and 36.1% (1’138’288) would be residing in the Gaza Strip. (see at: www.pcbs.org).
Figure 1, below, illustrates the geographical distribution of the sample of this study according to place of residence. Whereas PCBS estimated the proportion of West Bank Palestinians, including those living in East Jerusalem, at nearly 64%, West Bank and East Jerusalem respondents represent 63% of all respondents included in the survey conducted for this report3.
Figure 1- Place of residence (q 42 - Q 43)2
According to the UNRWA figures for late June 2000, there are 1’407’631 registered refugees (RR) living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The majority of the RR resides in the Gaza Strip (824’622). They constitute 78% of the Strip’s population and 54.7% of them (i.e. 451’186 people) live in eight Gaza Strip camps. In the West Bank, there are 583’009 RR and they represent 29.7% of the local population. The camp residents’ percentage (157’676 persons living in 19 camps) is lower than in the Gaza Strip and does not exceed 27% of the RR (UNRWA 2000a).
Taking into account the PCBS population projections for the year 2000, the percentage of the RR in the Palestinian territories according to UNRWA is 44.7% (1’407’631/3’150’056). The percentage of RR in the sample of this report is 43%.4
Using the same calculation technique for the West Bank,
the percentage of RR is 29.0% (583’0097/2’011’768), our figure is 30% while
UNRWA gives 29.7%.
However, for the Gaza Strip, the estimation based on
PCBS projections is 72.4% (824’622/1’138’288) and in our sample we have
64% of RR, while UNRWA gives 78%.5
Furthermore, in the PCBS surveys as well as in the sample of this report, refugees who are not registered with UNRWA and who may or may not reside in camps are included.
Comparing the sample of this report to UNRWA figures, in the West Bank 23% of RR are camp residents versus UNRWA’s figure of 27%; in the Gaza Strip 48% of RR are camp residents versus almost 55% according to UNRWA.
Figure 2 - Area of residence (q 42)
Taking a closer look at the areas of residence, figure 2, above, shows that approximately half of the respondents live in urban settings, one fifth in camps and one third in villages.
In the survey for this report, 577 women6 were interviewed. They account for 46% of the sample. According to PCBS projections for the year 2000, women account for 49.5% of the population.
Figure 3, below, illustrates the relatively young age structure of the Palestinian population surveyed. In fact, people over the age of 60 represent less than 6% of the surveyed population aged 18 and above.
A comparison between PCBS data and results from the survey of this report, illustrated in table 1, indicates the proximity in the age distribution patterns.
Table 1 - Age group distribution comparison (q 38)
|
Age groups
|
PCBS
|
estimate |
Our
|
Sample |
| 20-24 | 582,289 | 20.6% | 251 | 20.6% |
| 25-29 | 489,912 | 17.4% | 222 | 18.2% |
| 30-34 | 402,417 | 14.3% | 197 | 16.2% |
| 35-39 | 327,183 | 11.6% | 161 | 13.2% |
| 40-44 | 276,826 | 9.8% | 118 | 9.7% |
| 45-49 | 234,117 | 8.3% | 80 | 6.6% |
| 50-54 | 196,221 | 7.0% | 56 | 4.6% |
| 55-59 | 161,991 | 5.7% | 37 | 3.0% |
| 60+ | 150,779 | 5.3% | 95 | 7.8% |
| Total 20+ | 2,821,835 | 100.0% | 1,217 | 100.0% |
The recent crisis in the Palestinian territories has led to an increase in unemployment. This situation has put greater pressure on the breadwinners and has negatively influenced the living conditions of the Palestinians.
Between 1997 and the end of September 2000, the Palestinian labour market had witnessed an important employment growth. Data of PCBS indicate that the average rate of 23% of unemployment in 1996 was reduced to about 11% by mid-2000 (PCBS 2000-2001, Rabah 2000).
In its recent report, UNSCO (2001) estimates that already in early October 2000, the core unemployment rate had risen from 11% to almost 30% and that, by late January 2001, 38% of the Palestinian labour force in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip was unemployed 7.
The results of the poll conducted for this report showed that, at the time the survey was conducted, only 29% of all Palestinians were fully employed. Figures 4 and 5, below, illustrate in further detail the current employment status of Palestinians and the place of work of the employed.
Figure 4 - Current employment status (q 8)
N = 1260
When examining the number of people who are actually in the labor force8 (they constitute 55% of the sample), the survey showed that at the end of January 2001, only 53% were fully employed, 17% were partially employed, and 30% were unemployed. Although recent figures of the PCBS set the unemployment rate at 39%9, it is important to note two important points:
- The survey for this report was conducted among people aged 18 and above, whilst the employment figures of the PCBS include the workers aged 15 and above.
- In addition, the poll also showed that a sizeable number of people who lost their jobs during the Intifada, were able to find new jobs.
Figure 5 - Place of work of the employed population (q 11)
When the respondents were asked about the effect of the Intifada on their employment situation, only 58% said that nothing had changed. As for the remaining 42%, some remained jobless (26%) and others found new jobs (16%).
Figure 6, below, shows the effect of the crisis on Palestinian employment and the previous place of work of those who lost their jobs and remained jobless.
Although the majority of the respondents who said to have lost their jobs in the first four months of the Intifada said that they used to work in Israel or in the settlements, almost 48% of Palestinians who lost their jobs used to work in the Palestinian territories. This shows the harsh impact of the crisis on the internal Palestinian economy and the consequences it had on the social and economic conditions of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Figure 6 - Impact of the second Intifada on job situation (q 12 & q 13) and previous place of work (q 11)
It is also important to stress that, according to UNSCO (2001), Palestinian workers in Israel and in the settlements received, as a group, an average of US$ 3.5 millions for each working day prior to the crisis. The cumulative income loss for the period 1 October 2000-31 January 2001 has been estimated at US$ 243.4 millions10.
Although nearly one half of the people who lost their jobs used to work on Palestinian territory, the closures hit those who used to work in Israel much harder.11 Figure 7, below, shows that nearly 7 people out of 10 lost their jobs while this was the case for “only” 12% of the people in the West Bank, 15% in Jerusalem and 18% in Gaza. Job “recovery” was better in the West Bank, where more people were able to change their jobs than in the Gaza Strip.
Figure 7 - Impact of the second Intifada on job situation (q 12 & q 13) by previous place of work (q 11)
Concerning the employment situation for the skilled and unskilled workers, 47% versus 51% respectively lost their jobs, 22% versus 28% changed their occupation, and 32% versus 21% did not change their employment.
Figure 8 - Impact of the second Intifada on job situation (q 12 & q 13) by place of residence (q 42 & q 43)
Figure 8, above, indicates that the impact of the second Intifada on the job situation was sharper in the Gaza Strip and in West Bank refugee camps than in the remainder of the West Bank or East Jerusalem.
Figure 9, below, illustrates that the Intifada affected the employment situation of the older generation more severely than that of the younger generation.
A potential explanation for these findings could be that less young Palestinians are employed inside Israel or in the settlements than their elders. More specifically, whereas a mere 16% of the 18 to 25 age group works in Israel or in settlements, 25% of the 45-60 age group do so. Incidentally, similar assumptions can be made from a gender perspective. Only 6% of the women labour force worked inside Israel and the settlements compared to 22% of the men. Moreover, more men than women lost their jobs (29% against 9%) or had to change it (18% against 9%).
Figure 9 - Impact of the second Intifada on job situation (q 12 & q 13) by age group (q 38)
The questionnaire of this report did not include questions on the strategies adopted by the Palestinian families to face the crisis. However, a poll conducted by a Birzeit University team on 8-10 February 2001 in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip among 1’200 respondents showed the main means adopted by families to cope with the harsh economic conditions. The majority of the Palestinian population surveyed said - in decreasing order of importance - that they reduced expenditures (84%); spent existing savings (55%); took a loan (43%); asked for assistance (28%); sold wife’s dowry and wedding gifts (22%); resorted back to agriculture and raising cattle (17%); sold property (4%). (Birzeit University 2001)
Furthermore, concerning the deterioration in living conditions
among Palestinians, the World Bank (2001) and the UNSCO (2001) reports
suggest that by January 2001 about 1 million people in the Palestinian
territories lived under the poverty line12 compared to
654’000 before the fall of 2000.
The second Intifada is characterized by severe border closures, internal movement restrictions and the closing of international borders which, of course, affect mobility. As UNSCO (2001) has noted: “the short term and direct economic effects of such policies are to reduce income to farmers, workers, merchants and business people who cannot reach their places of employment or who are unable to obtain inputs and/or sell their goods and services”.
Table 2 and table 3, below, on internal closures and international border closures respectively, drawn from a recent UNSCO report, further illustrate the restrictive effects of these closures on the mobility of the Palestinian population.13
Table 2 - Internal Closures in Palestine
|
Internal Closures
Palestinian Territory |
Imposed in theOccupied
October 2000 - January 2001 |
|
By Internal Closures |
|
| West Bank | |
| Partial Closure |
|
| Severe Closure |
|
| Gaza Strip | |
| Partial Closure |
|
| Severe Closure |
|
Source: UNSCO, 2001
Table 3 - Internalional Borders Closures in Palestine
|
Internalional Closures
October 2000 - |
Imposed in theOPT
January 2001 |
|
By Internalional Border Closures |
|
| West Bank | |
| Allenby / Karameh Passenger |
|
| Allenby / Karameh Commercial |
|
| Gaza Strip | |
| Rafah Passenger |
|
| Rafah Commercial |
|
| Gaza International Airport |
|
Source: UNSCO, 2001
At the time the survey was conducted for this report, a mere 2% of the respondents said that mobility had not been a problem since the beginning of the Al-Aqsa Intifada at the end of September 2000; for 19% of the interviewees mobility had posed a small problem, while for 79% mobility had been a serious problem.
The place of residence of Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip made a significant difference as to the extent to which mobility posed a problem.
- In Gaza refugee camps, 84% of the interviewees stated that mobility formed a big problem. In the West Bank, in and outside camps, this proportion amounts to 83%.
- Among non-camp respondents in the Gaza Strip, the figure decreased to 72%, while in Jerusalem only 65% of the respondents believed that the lack of mobility formed a major impediment.
The Birzeit University poll confirms the findings of this report and offers further detail on two specific issues related to mobility restrictions. More than 35% of the respondents in the Gaza Strip and almost 46% of those in the West Bank said that the closures seriously impeded access to health services. More than 70% of the surveyed population affirmed that mobility restrictions totally or partially obstructed access to schools and universities. (Birzeit University 2001)
In general, households in the Palestinian territories are large. As indicated in table 4 and figure 10 below, the results of the survey reveal that the average Palestinian household is composed of 7.3 individuals.
The number of household members substantially varies between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Whilst the average size of a West Bank family is 6.6, the average size of a Gaza Strip family is 8.5. Size of families in refugee camps in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip is higher than that in non-camp areas. Jerusalem has the lowest number of household members with an average of 5.5 per household.
Table 4 - Household size (q 14), number of people employed (q 15), number of employed women (q 16)
| Place of residence |
in household |
per household |
employed people |
employed women |
|
| West Bank |
N |
570 |
|
562 |
535 |
| WB Camps |
N |
132 |
|
129 |
113 |
| Jerusalem |
N |
123 |
|
120 |
109 |
| Gaza |
N |
291 |
|
285 |
176 |
| Gaza Camps |
N |
148 |
|
147 |
89 |
| Total |
N |
1264 |
|
1243 |
1018 |
The large size of Palestinian households puts a great deal of pressure on the standard of living. The survey showed that an average of 3.56 persons depend on a single breadwinner, excluding the breadwinner (the number rises to 4.5 if the breadwinner is included). The number is about the same in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. This could probably be explained by the fact that more women are employed per family in the Gaza Strip than in the West Bank as indicated in table 4 above.
Figure 10 - Average number of employed and dependent persons per household by place of residence
Respondents were asked to state the impact of the crisis on the wage earners in their household. The results show that in the average household, 0.57 persons lost their jobs due to the current situation. If this figure is compared to the 1.6 average workers, this gives an impressive picture of the effect of the closures on the economic situation of Palestinian households!
Respondents were also asked to state where those who lost their jobs used to work. Interestingly, some differences emerge when comparing the distribution that was reported with the one that comes out from the analysis of the working respondents (figure 6).
When the interviewees were asked about where their household
members who lost their job used to work, the settlements (10% against 4%)
and Israel (52% versus 48%) are over-reported. Although the figures that
emerged from individual analysis can be thought of as more representative
of the reality, one can notice here that job losses in Israel and the settlements
were more striking to the respondents.
1.5 - Martyrs, people injured and damage to property
In addition to the severe economic and social effects of the recent crisis on the Palestinian society, the emotional and psychological conditions of the Palestinian public were also negatively affected. Most households have had to cope with the loss of a beloved one or the injury of a relative.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health (quoted in the UNSCO report, 2001), as of 10 February 2001, 337 Palestinians had died as a result of the confrontations and more than 12’000 had been injured. A report made available by PHR in early November 2000 underlined the high percentage of casualties suffered by children as well as the fact that more than 50% of the injuries were related to the upper part of the body, mainly caused by live and rubber-coated metal bullets.14 More recent reports of the Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed these findings.15
As indicated in figure 11, below, the number of respondents who had an injured relative or family member is very high. Also worth noting is that while, among the surveyed Palestinians, a higher percentage of refugees than non-refugees stated that they had relatives martyred or injured, more non-refugees than refugees suffered in their business or had their trees uprooted by the Israeli authorities.
Figure 11 - Martyrs, injured and damage (q 22) by refugee status (q 2)
Table 5, below, drawn from a recent report prepared by BADIL (2001) provides an overview of the number of refugee martyrs in the various districts of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. In total, 146 refugees were martyred between 29 September 2000 and 31 January 2001.
Table 5 - West Bank and Gaza Strip Refugee Martyrs of the al-Aqsa Intifada, 29 September 2000 to 31 January 2001
|
Age & Gender
|
Male
|
Female
|
|
|||
| Location |
|
|
|
|
||
| West Bank* | ||||||
|
Northern Districts**
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Central Districts***
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Southern Districts****
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Gaza Strip# | ||||||
|
Gaza North##
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gaza City###
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gaza Central####
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gaza South#####
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
|
|
| * | From the 29 September 2000 to 31 December 2000 | ||||||
| ** | Indlucing Nablus, Jenin, Tulkarem and Ramallah | ||||||
| *** | Including Jerusalem and Jericho | ||||||
| **** | Including Bethlehem and Hebron | ||||||
|
|
From the 29 September 2000 to 31 December 2000 | ||||||
|
|
Including Jabalya Camp and Hay Al-Rimal | ||||||
|
|
Including Sheikh Radwan, Beach Camp and Hay Al-Tufah | ||||||
|
|
Including Al-Breij, Deir Al-Balah and Nuseirat Camps | ||||||
|
|
Indlucing Rafah, Khan Yunis and Brazil Camps |
Source: BADIL, 2001
According to the results of the survey conducted for this report, the crisis affected Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank differently. As shown in table 6, Gaza Strip respondents suffered more in terms of martyrs, injured, property damage and having their trees uprooted than West Bank respondents. However, a higher number of West Bank interviewees than Gaza Strip interviewees reported that their business had suffered since the outbreak of the Intifada.
Table 6 - Imapct of the crisis (q 22) by place of residence (q 42 & q 43)
|
Place of
|
Residence | ||||
| Type of Injury |
|
|
|
|
|
| Relative Martyred |
|
|
|
|
|
| Relative Injured |
|
|
|
|
|
| Family property damaged |
|
|
|
|
|
| Family Trees Uprooted |
|
|
|
|
|
| Family Business Suffered |
|
|
|
|
|
Incidentally, perceptions on the impact of the crisis among respondents do not differ according to gender. Furthermore, when analyzing the impact of the crisis according to the various age groups surveyed, it seemed that the youngest and eldest respondents were less aware of the general situation regarding casualties and other issues than the other respondents.
Finally, the value of damages to private and public properties
(such as housing, buildings and infrastructure, shops, workshops, offices,
schools, medical facilities, vehicles, agricultural land) during the first
four months of the Intifada has been estimated in the tens of millions
of US$. PCHR (2000, 2001a, 2001b) has accurately documented the situation
in the Gaza Strip. The reports of the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture
(2001) and of PHRMG (2001) also cover the situation for the West Bank.
The devastating effects of the crisis on the Palestinian society are severely felt. As illustrated in figure 12, below, the crisis has also harshly affected the Palestinian children. Over 70% of the respondents stated that they noticed changes in their children’s behavior.
Figure 12 - Effect of the second Intifada on children (q 20)
The Birzeit University survey reveals that the age group 5-14 years is the most affected by the crisis in terms of manifesting psychological problems, followed by children under 5 years. The suffering of children, though significant throughout the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, is observed higher in the Gaza Strip than in the West Bank. (Birzeit University 2001)
Figure 13, below, illustrates the type of changes the parents and the other household adults that were surveyed for the purpose of this report, have witnessed in their children as a result of the conflict. The most frequently stated change in behavior of children evolved around sleeping disorders, including nightmares and bed-wetting. Over 50% of the respondents stated that the children in their households are suffering from sleeping disturbances.
A significant number also observed other disturbances such as fear, lack of concentration, and violent behavior. Over 15% of the respondents who noticed a change in the behavior of children (son, daughter, brother, sister, etc.) said that children are having difficulties in concentration. The rest noticed multiple effects on their children since the outbreak of the Intifada, as indicated below.
Figure 13 - Nature of the effect of the second Intifada on children (q 21)
The results of the survey conducted for this report also indicate that refugee children seem to have suffered more than non-refugee children. Indeed, 80% of the refugee respondents reported a change in children’s behavior as a result of the crisis compared to 67% of the non-refugee respondents.
According to the results of the survey, the place of residence
also had an impact on whether or not Palestinian children manifested behavioral
changes. Of all respondents, 84% of Gazan refugee camp residents noticed
a change in behavior in their children and 82% of the total Gaza Strip
respondents did so. Similarly, 79% of West Bank refugee camp respondents
reported behavioral changes in their children and 66% of total West Bank
respondents did so. The perceived behavioral changes in children were the
lowest among respondents from Jerusalem, with 62%.
- The second Intifada is termed locally Intifada al-Aqsa, in reference to the visit of Mr. Ariel Sharon to the Dome of the Rock's complex and the begining of the Palestinian uprising on September 29, 2000.
- Throughout the report, proper references are made to the questions of the survey used in the figure. 1.e. figure 1 is based on questions 42 and 43.
- As explained in the methodology, West Bank refugee camps are over-sampled. Instead of interviewing 62 individuals in these locations, 132 were interviewed. Except for the results that single out the population in West Bank refugee camps, all the results presented hereafter are weighted to be representative.
- The percentage of 43% was deduced from the results of questions 1 & 4 in the survey.
- It should be noted that while UNRWA and PCBS figures include the population under 18 years, the sample of this report includes only people aged 18 years is higher among the refugee population, especially among the camp residents. This may provide an explanation for the apparent underestimation of PR in the Gaza Strip sample of this report.
- The gender of the respondents is specified in the answers to question 44 in the questionnaire.
- The average number of unemployed people at the end of January 2001 was estimated at 253,000 people (71,000) before the begining of the Intifada), out of a total labor force of 662,000 persons.
- Labor force excludes respondents who identified themselves as housewives, retired persons or students. They make up 45% of the surveyed population.
- According to the communique de presse given throught Assoicated Press on February 17, 2001. THe PCBS survey was conducted in the 4th quarter of 2000.
- The value of the internal direct losses in income-earning opportunities is estimated at US$ 907.3 millions. For the 105 working days during the period from 1.10.2000 to 31.1.2001, the loss is approximately US$ 8.6 million per day. (UNSCO 2001).
- According to PCBS (2000) and UNSCO (2001), an average of 130,000 Palestinians from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip were working in Israel before the end of September 2000. In the first four months of the Intifada, the Palestinians lost over 100,000 jobs.
- The poverty line is estimated by the World Bank at US$ 2.10 per person per day in consumption expenditures.
- For further details with regard to the closure of crossings in the Gaza Strip since the begining of the Intifada until mid-February 2001, see Annex 1 of PCHR (2001b).
- See also UNRWA, 2000b.
- The serious attacks on emergency medical personnel and services are also worth mentioning. In its reports of December 2000 and 2001, HDIP indicates the killing of one German doctor and of one Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance driver. Furthermore, according to HDIP, 64 PRCS emergency medical technicians and 18 Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees first aid workers (including two physicians) have been injured, 49 PRCS ambulances (72% of their fleet) were hit by live ammunition, rubber bullets, and/or stones thrown by Israeli settlers in 96 separate attacks.
[Back to contents]