Humanitarian Assistance

In 2005, approximately USD 1.3 billion in donor aid was dispersed in the oPt. Since September 2000, when the intifada broke out and Israeli closure measures tightened significantly, the amount of aid channeled to humanitarian issues rose dramatically. Just under one third of all aid is humanitarian assistance – the remainder is spent on budgetary support to the Palestinian Authority and development.

Each year since 2003, humanitarian agencies in the oPt have prepared a Consolidated Appeal which lays out the strategic plan and appeal for money. In 2006, this appeal was for USD 215 million. Food and infrastructure are the two sectors which receive the lion’s share of funding. It is estimated for example, that 1.4 million Palestinians receive food aid from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) alone.

The need for assistance is increasing – roughly 70% of households in the oPt state they need assistance, an indication of the extent to which coping strategies are being stretched. Palestinians continue to view employment as the most important unmet need and as the best way of improving their situation, according to the Geneva poll.

In spite of the large humanitarian aid flows, donors and humanitarians face a continuing dilemma - as the occupying power, Israel has the primary responsibility under the Fourth Geneva Convention to meet the needs of those it occupies. The international community appears increasingly willing to shoulder Israel’s burden and provide assistance directly to Palestinians.

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