Barriers to trade in the Occupied Palestinian Territories: A Farmer's Tale
28 August 2007
For Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza, checkpoints and roadblocks
are a way of life. Although the physical distances involved may be small, the
movement of people and goods within these territories is often slow and
expensive.
Put in place by the
Israeli
Government, who cite concern for security, these restrictions are having a
devastating effect on the Palestinian economy, with limited access to markets
making trade all but impossible. DFID’s programme in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories (OPTs) aims to support its fragile economy, while working with
partners to help end the conflict and create a viable Palestinian state. But at
present, many people hoping to make a living face a major struggle.
Checkpoints cause costly delays
Image courtesy of B. Barrett/ICRC
Sixty-year-old Sami Awad Abdelhafez Ali is a tomato farmer from the village
of Beit Amin in the north of the West Bank. For Sami, as for the other farmers
in the village, the main market for selling produce is the large city of Nablus,
located a few hours away. To make a good profit, it is important that Sami can
get his crops to Nablus without much trouble. However, owing to the movement
and access restrictions, a checkpoint separates him from his greenhouse. And
although Sami is lucky that usually there are no delays, the checkpoint doesn't
open until six in the morning.
"This is a huge complication," he says. "The most important buyers are in the market very early. It takes two hours to travel there and by the time I arrive, they have left." Generally, Sami has to let his tomatoes go for around half the normal market price.
Despite an Agreement on Movement and Access
(91
kb) that was approved by both Israelis
and Palestinians in 2005, constraints on movement are as present as ever. Indeed,
according to the
United Nations, physical blocks in the West Bank have actually increased by 43%
since then. And, in Gaza, air and seaports remain closed, defying the
agreement and prolonging Gaza's isolation from international trade. Transporting
a container the 36 miles from Gaza to the West Bank is now as expensive as
shipping it to China.
Whether Palestinians want to sell to a domestic market, like Sami, or to foreign buyers, restrictions are preventing commercial activity from taking place, and the Palestinian economy is feeling the effects.
Freedom of movement vital to growth
Unless
movement and access are improved, Palestinians will not be able to develop
economically, and peace will be harder to achieve. With over 500 obstacles currently
in place throughout the West Bank, and a further 200 "flying" checkpoints
operated by the Israeli army at shifting locations, there is also a social cost
to consider. Access to schools and medical services is far from straightforward,
and families can find it tough to negotiate travel difficulties and stay
together. And administrative restrictions, such as permits for gaining entry to
some locations, are just as disruptive as physical ones.
In addition to DFID financial support to the Palestinian economy, the UK
continues to raise its concerns with the Israeli Government about the
barriers to movement and access. A May 2007
World
Bank report, funded by DFID, concluded that, for West Bank Palestinians,
freedom of movement and access is the exception rather than the norm. It
questioned whether such constraints were solely a security measure, or whether
they also served to protect and expand Israeli settlements in the area. A
reassessment of the restrictions would be needed if the OPTs were to see
economic recovery, and people like Sami were to have the chance to earn a decent
living.
Key Facts
- On 18 July 2007 the Secretary of State for International Development, Douglas Alexander, announced a contribution of £3 million to the Palestinian Authority to help it pay off its debts to the private sector. He said: "Helping the Palestinian Authority to pay its debts increases Palestinian companies’ ability to continue trading, and so to invest and employ more people. This will boost the economy, and demonstrates our clear support for the new Government.”
- Based on the understanding that the best prospect for lasting improvement in the OPTs is through the peace process, DFID's £31.6 million programme is focused on working with partners to help end the conflict and create a viable Palestinian state.
- As part of DFID's programme this year, the UK is funding work to generate media awareness of movement and access restrictions and to petition the Israeli High Court of Justice on movement and access issues.
Links
Note: This Case Study appears courtesy of the
International
Committee of the Red Cross.
