Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA) – Forty-seventh bi-weekly implementation report (OCHA)

Report No. 47

Implementation of the Agreement on Movement and Access

(22 August – 4 September 2007)

The United Nations¹ is submitting the 47^th bi-weekly report on the implementation of the 15 November 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA), covering the period 22 August – 4 September 2007.

Overall Progress:

During the reporting period, Israel has allowed 335 Palestinians to travel out of Gaza through Erez and then to continue by bus to Nitzana Border Crossing on the Israeli-Egyptian border. During the reporting period no Palestinian was allowed into Gaza from Egypt through this route.

Erez crossing remained open for a limited number of Palestinian senior traders, medical cases and a small number of Palestinians working for international organizations. A single conveyor belt at Karni Crossing was open for three days for the import of grains/animal feed only, otherwise the crossing remained closed.

As a result of Karni’s closure, Sufa and Kerem Shalom crossings function as the principal alternative entry points for commercial and humanitarian supplies. During the reporting period, 79 truckloads of humanitarian supplies and 1,104 truckloads of commercial supplies entered. Sufa crossing still has no appropriate

infrastructure to handle food supplies with continuing concerns over the way the food products are imported. In a single operation, 7 truck loads of potatoes were exported to Jordan through Kerem Shalom,

Changes of note since Report No. 46 (21 August):

• Rafah crossing remained closed (last open on 9 June.)and has now been closed for more than 87 days

• Karni crossing remained closed during the reporting period and has been closed since 12 June. A single conveyor belt/chute for importing food grains and animal feed was open on three days (27, 30 August and 3 Sept) for an average of 3 hours, bringing into Gaza the equivalent of 220 truck loads of grains and animal feed compared with 61 truck loads during the previous period.

• Sufa crossing was open on 10 scheduled operating days, for the entry of commercial and humanitarian supplies compared to 9 days in the previous reporting period. An equivalent of 794 truckloads crossed into Gaza through Sufa compared to 753 truckloads crossed during the previous reporting period. Sufa crossing remains closed for the import of construction materials.

• Kerem Shalom crossing was open on 10 days during this reporting period for the entry of commercial food and humanitarian aid compared to 9 days during the previous period. An equivalent of 239 truck loads crossed into Gaza, and 7 out, compared to 224 truck loads imported during the previous period.

• Erez crossing has been closed since 12 June to all Palestinians, except for a limited number of senior Palestinian traders and Palestinian International organizations staff who were granted special permits to cross to the West Bank and Israel, and some medical cases.

• Obstacles to movement in the West Bank following a detailed re-survey that ran from 20 August to 20 September the number of obstacles reported increased from 532 to572, which is an increase of 196 obstacles, or 52.1%, over the baseline figure of August 2005.

No Change since Report No. 46 (21 August):

Ports:

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¹The Office of the Quartet’s Special Envoy closed on 28 April. Since then the United Nations through the oPt OCHA office has assumed reporting responsibilities on the implementation of the AMA.

FULL REPORT: