Monday, July 9, 2007

The Humanitarian Impact of the Barrier

Here are excerpts from a report that was published today by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN Relief Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA):

"In an average year, fifty babies are born in ‘Azzun ‘Atma. There is no hospital or 24-hour medical service available in the enclave. There is only a basic primary health care clinic in the community which operates for 2 hours daily/ 2 days a week. To ensure access to proper medical care for deliveries, most women leave the village early in their ninth month and relocate to relatives’ homes or other places outside the enclave. Between January and early June 2007, 33 babies were born: 20 were delivered outside the enclave. The remaining 13 babies were delivered at home: none of the home deliveries was attended by a trained midwife or a doctor."

"Three years ago today, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an advisory opinion stating that the route of Israel's Barrier in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and its associated permit and gate regime, constitute a serious breach of international law. In this Special Focus, OCHA looks at several communities in the northern West Bank that have been severed by the Barrier from their neighbouring communities, from agricultural lands and livelihoods."

To view the full document, please click here.

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