Humanitarian fact sheet on the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea area – OCHA factsheet

HUMANITARIAN FACT SHEET ON THE JORDAN

VALLEY AND DEAD SEA AREA

FEBRUARY 2012

وقائع إنسانية عن منطقة غور الأردن والبحر الميت

1. The majority of the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea area is off limits to Palestinian residential or community use and development, due to the inability to obtain building permits from the Israeli Civil Administration, including for homes and basic service infrastructure, such as schools, roads or water networks, as well as restrictions on access to grazing and agricultural areas.

2. Palestinian access to and from the Jordan Valley area is highly constrained by dozens of checkpoints, roadblocks and trenches, further fragmenting the West Bank. These restrictions have impeded the access of Palestinians to grazing land, services, markets for agricultural produce, and undermined family and social ties.

3. The restrictions on access to transportation routes, to agricultural land and to water resources have hampered the Palestinian agricultural sector. The denial of access to the Dead Sea coastline has also prevented the development of a potentially significant source for revenue and employment. Meanwhile, Israeli settlements have been able to develop highly profitable agricultural, mineral, touristic and other businesses.

4. Thousands of Palestinians in the area are at risk of forced displacement. This is due to a combination of factors, including demolitions, forced evictions from closed military zones and the inability to meet basic needs due to a range of Israeli-imposed restrictions.

5. Under international law, Israel, as an occupying power, has an obligation to protect the civilian population and to administer the territory for their benefit. This includes respecting their human rights and ensuring that their basic needs are met. The demolition of civilian Palestinian homes, as well as the transfer of Israeli settlers into the occupied territory, are strictly prohibited and must be brought to a halt.