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A new position paper by Gisha looks at what might be a new policy of closing Kerem Shalom Crossing and further restricting travel through Erez Crossing following rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. The position paper details the number of days during which movement through the crossings was restricted since rocket fire resumed in February. It examines the effects of the closures on both residents of Gaza and farmers in Israel, and reviews what has been said about the new policy in the security establishment.

Around 6.5 million people were newly displaced, almost twice as many as the 3.5 million during 2011. The conflicts in Syria and DRC were responsible for around half of the new displacements.

Introduction

This synthesis report presents qualitative and participatory research findings on beneficiary and community perceptions of five unconditional cash transfer programmes: two in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region (the Palestinian National Cash Transfer Programme (PNCTP) in Gaza and the West Bank, and the Social Welfare Fund (SWF) in Yemen); and three in sub-Saharan Africa (Kenya’s Cash Transfers for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (CT-OVC) programme, Mozambique’s Basic Social Subsidy Programme (PSSB), and Uganda’s Senior Citizen Grant (SCG), part of the Social Assistance Grants for

World Bank Promotes Microwork Opportunities for Palestinians

Digital work can increase innovative businesses and employment of youth and women

WASHINGTON, March 26, 2013 – The digital economy can leap geographic obstacles and bring new employment opportunities to Palestinians in the area of microwork. This is the finding of a new World Bank study, released today, which explores the feasibility of microwork as a path to job creation for Palestinian youth and women who can become digitally mobile economic actors using relatively basic digital infrastructure.

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UNICEF has conducted a review of practices related to children who come into contact with the military detention system.

This document discusses the growing presence of terror organisations in the geo-politically important Sinai Pen- insula and their growing relationship with indigenous Bedouin tribes, and outlines the responses of the key actors in the region to the complex security environment. Related information is available at www.cimicweb.org. Hyper- links to source material are highlighted in blue and underlined in the text. All maps are hyperlinked to their source locations.

Introduction