CARE Country Director in the West Bank and Gaza:
Humanitarian Conditions in Palestine are Tragic
Impoverishing the Palestinians will not Serve the Cause
of Peace. The Siege Began in 1967
Translated from Al-Quds Newspaper
Thursday, 10 April 2008
Page 14
Jerusalem. Zaki Abu Al-Halweh. Martha Myers, the new CARE Country Director in the West Bank and Gaza, said that humanitarian conditions in Palestine are tragic and very bad, and she described the situation in Gaza dangerous because of the Israeli siege.
Myers assumed her new post beginning of this year. In an exclusive interview, she told Al-Quds, that: “impoverishing the Palestinians does not serve the cause of peace,” and she explained that her organization is providing basic health services in the marginalized communities, and to people who are not receiving services. Following is the interview:
CARE’s Objectives
Q: What are the objectives that you want to achieve through your work with CARE?
Personally, I want to support the staff so we can meet our objectives and strategy as CARE International, and I want us to work systematically.
Q: What is your assessment of the humanitarian conditions of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza?
CARE International, along with our partners and other parties and observers, we believe that the situation is tragic and very difficult. During the last two or three decades, Palestinians moved from high levels in education, health, social services, and all aspects of life, to a situation of sharp economic deterioration. We believe that the situation in Gaza is very serious because of the siege. We look at the statistics with concern; that 80% of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip rely on food aid, that 4 out of 5 persons are living below poverty levels, and that approximately 14% of children in the Gaza Strip are suffering from malnutrition and other problems.
In the West Bank, I see the difficult living conditions in the rural areas. They have been inflicted because of the Wall, and the people are facing internal migration because they can no longer access their land, so poverty levels are increasing. We believe that making the Palestinians poor will not create an environment conducive for peace.
Q: Do you believe that the siege has impacted the lives of Palestinians?
The current siege is not something new, it is the accumulation of many stages, but it was renewed when Hamas was elected, and after the events of May, June, and July in terms of the conflict between Hamas and Fatah. The siege was tightened since January 2008 when the Israeli authorities said they are doing it in response to Qassam rockets, and since then the basic supplies, food, and gasoline, have been cut. The siege is a process that stated in 1967 so as to create dependency on Israel in the sectors of services, exports, electricity, gasoline, health, and all aspects of life. The current siege is part of a deliberate Israeli strategy. As CARE, we see the impact of the siege when poverty levels go up, when there is no gasoline for service provision in the Gaza Strip, and when the services offered in the hospitals are insufficient. For example the schools do not have science laboratories because there is no gasoline in the Gaza Strip.
CARE International, like other organizations, is facing difficulties when implementing vital projects in the Gaza Strip. For example, we are facing difficulties with our water project, because there is no cement, no pipes, and we do not have the raw material needed for construction and repair.
I want to add one thing regarding the siege on the Gaza Strip. 50% of the population there are children, and there is no reason why they are held responsible for Qassam rockets or any other violations taking place across the borders. Gaza children have the right for protection as stipulated in international conventions, irrespective of what happens at the political front.
Economic Recovery will Require Decades
Q: Jeffrey Dennis, CARE UK Executive Director, has said that unless the siege is lifted immediately, it will be impossible to bring back Gaza from the brink. Do you still feel that way?
I agree with Mr. Dennis. According to the studies conducted by the World Bank, which is a professional organization, they are saying that it will take decades to improve the economic conditions of Palestinians. As to the siege in particular, when you cannot bring spare parts for water and sanitation, or for the provision of basic services that are needed by the people, then the infrastructure will be destroyed gradually, and it will take many years to recover. Moreover, the people are suffering at the psychosocial level, and the question is: how do we help the children, especially those whose lives have been tainted with violence. This is a formidable challenge for the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian people. I wonder how they will deal with this problem, so that the citizen who suffered so much will participate in civil society in a healthy manner.
Q: What are the activities carried out by CARE for the Palestinian people?
CARE has a program in many sectors with the Palestinians. With funding from the United States Agency for International Development, we are providing equipment, medicine, medical supplies, spare parts, and training to health organizations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. With the European Commission’s Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid, we are providing basic medical services to marginalized communities, and to people who are not receiving services; we are implementing water and sanitation projects in the rural Jenin area and the Gaza Strip. Also we have entered in an innovative project with many aspects that help the people cope in a sustainable manner, such as offering them beehives, and in the Gaza Strip we are purchasing vegetables from the farmers and distributing it to needy families. Also in the Gaza Strip, we have two civil society projects, one is with the Ford Foundation whereby we are offering grants to civil society organizations so they will remain active and can carry out their role in society, and the second project is with the European Commission, it is a program that empowers women so they can assume their proper place in society.
We Want to Continue Helping
Q: Are there any plans by CARE to expand your program of assistance to the Palestinian people?
CARE, like any other INGO, depends on donor funding. We are satisfied with our program and we are committed to continue with it. We hope to receive the funding that we need, in a manner consistent with our strategy and priorities. Of course we would like to expand our program and to offer more services. We are always trying to find funding so we can implement our strategies and priorities.
New Projects
Q: What are your future projects?
I can tell you about the projects we hope to implement in the future. We would like to expand our projects that have sustainability and long term viability. For example, we are implementing a food security project in Jenin’s rural area. We are hoping to expand our work in emergency health care, such as providing medicine, basic supplies, health services, and psychosocial support, and to continue our work creatively with the marginalized segments of society. CARE believes that civil society is an integral part of sustainable development. By activating the role of civil society on the long run, we are hoping to participate in improving the level of services offered to Palestinians, in accordance with human rights conventions and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
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