In June 2009, Save the Children UK completed a research study on the pressures and impacts associated with forced displacement in high risk areas of the occupied Palestinian territory.
Key Findings
Areas identified by the international community as high risk are significantly poorer, more marginalized and less protected than the general population.
At least 49% of respondents living in or near Gaza's buffer zone or in West Bank areas under complete Israeli control (Area C) say they have been displaced at least once since 2000, compared with 15% among the general population in the OPT. Families that have been displaced fare significantly worse in terms of living conditions, socioeconomic impacts and psychosocial well-being than they did before their displacement, regardless of the reason why they were displaced. In high risk areas, house demolitions and the loss of income and sources of livelihoods are common triggers for the displacement of families. In the West Bank, families in high risk areas also faced forced evictions, land confiscation threats and lack of access to essential services, making them vulnerable to displacement. In the Gaza buffer zone areas, concerns for personal security and safety have caused families to move away from their communities.
78% of displaced families said they wanted to return to their homes. International organizations are not reaching those most in need of assistance, particularly in high risk areas in the West Bank. More than half of households surveyed in high risk areas in the West Bank said that humanitarian assistance from local and international organizations is 'not available,' in contrast with the approximately 8% in Gaza high risk areas who said that humanitarian assistance was 'not available.'
Families who most need legal support are not getting it. The majority of families both in high risk areas and in the general population did not access legal services or support after receiving a house demolition or land confiscation order.