Palestinian Authority and United Nations officials presenting the Humanitarian Response Plan for 2017 in Bethlehem. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Social Development.

BETHLEHEM, December 19, 2016 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Authority (PA) and the United Nations (UN) Monday appealed for $547 million in funds in 2017 to meet humanitarian needs in the occupied Palestinian territories, according to a joint press release.

Minister of Social Development Ibrahim Al-Shaer and the UN Coordinator for Humanitarian Aid and Development Activities, Robert Piper, launched at a press conference in Bethlehem the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) for 2017 to support the humanitarian needs of 1.6 million Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory.

"From the holy city of Bethlehem, we call upon the international community to exert the utmost effort to end occupation," said Shaer.

"This occupation has left many Palestinians highly vulnerable, whether ‘inside‘ or ‘outside‘ Palestine,” he said. “How can Palestinians achieve economic prosperity and social cohesion, while living under occupation without sovereignty; without being able to control our lives and destiny; without being able to enjoy our political, social and economic rights; without enjoying our natural resources; without using our lands; without geographic integrity between West Bank including Jerusalem and Gaza? In Palestine, people look forward to a life without poverty, hunger, violence, and brutal military occupation. Ending occupation is vital to moving forward so that we no longer need to be producing humanitarian appeals like the one being launched today."

"As Christmas draws near, global attention turns toward Bethlehem," said Piper. "What we see in Bethlehem today mirrors the challenges of many Palestinian communities in the occupied Palestinian territories; territorial fragmentation, restrictions on movement, poor access to services and the pressures of a settlement enterprise that continues unchecked,” he said.

“Some 50 miles from here, Palestinians in Gaza are facing their tenth year under a blockade that precludes any vestige of ‘normal life‘. This humanitarian funding appeal seeks to give a hand to the most vulnerable, the worst affected amongst Palestinian households across the whole occupied territory," said Piper.

According to humanitarian assessments, some 1.8 million people in the occupied territories are in high need of protection and 1.6 million people are moderately to severely food insecure.

In Gaza, over 50,000 people remain displaced from the 2014 Israeli military onslaught, while 8,000 people in the West Bank are at high risk of forcible transfer due to a coercive environment. Throughout the occupied territories, hundreds of thousands of people still have restricted access to essential services.

The 2017 HRP is the fifteenth coordinated appeal in the occupied territories. It aims to extend protection to Palestinians living under occupation, in accordance with international law, to ensure access to basic services for the most vulnerable Palestinians and to strengthen the capacity of families to cope with the continued pressures of life under occupation, said the press release.

The Plan seeks $547 million in donor funding to implement 243 projects by 95 organizations, including 47 national and 35 international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and 13 UN agencies. Nearly 70 per cent of the requested funds target Gaza, where humanitarian needs are highest due to the blockade and recurrent hostilities, further exacerbated by the impact of internal Palestinian divisions.

"International support is critical to continue providing relief to vulnerable Palestinians," said Piper. "But we are just trying to buy time – this humanitarian response must be coupled with bold political action to bring the world‘s most protracted protection crisis to a close."

M.K.