Hunger Afflicts Palestinians, a New Report Says

Citing Israeli-imposed closures and curfews as the main cause, a major study issued Monday concludes that one in five young children in the Palestinian territories is suffering from malnutrition, a figure on par with impoverished Third World nations such as Chad and Bangladesh.

The report, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, says the problem is particularly alarming in the Gaza Strip, where more than 13% of the population under the age of 5 suffers from acute malnutrition. That figure, the authors say, would be “considered an emergency by most humanitarians and public health officials.”

The report was released as Israel imposed a total ban on travel in much of the West Bank and sealed off a portion of the Gaza Strip. The closures came in the wake of yet another suicide bombing, on a bus Sunday, and of attacks by gunmen in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

The study, which was overseen by the humanitarian group CARE International with technical assistance from Johns Hopkins University, found that 22.5% of children in the territories under the age of 5 suffer from acute or chronic malnutrition. It also found that both wholesalers and retailers in the Palestinian territories have experienced shortages of such high-protein foods as fish, chicken and dairy products. And it found that a large percentage of Palestinians have been forced to borrow money or sell belongings to put food on the table.

“Eventually, people run out of places to borrow money and they run out of assets to sell,” said Dr. Gregg Greenough of the Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine and Public Health, who helped conduct the study, which was done in June.

*

Israeli Response

Israeli officials did not address the impact of closures on health issues Monday but said health conditions among Palestinians have been deteriorating since 1995, when Israel turned over health-care responsibilities in the territories to the Palestinians.

Dr. Yaacov Adler, who advises the Israeli government on health issues in the territories, said that since the Palestinian leadership took over, incomes have fallen drastically, affecting people’s ability to buy nourishing food.

“People who don’t have enough money eat the basic foods, not the food which is desirable for a child’s growth,” he said. “I don’t believe it will solve the problem if we are blamed. We must examine a way to improve this situation in a way that people will be able to earn more and eat healthier food.”

Those who participated in the survey, however, did point to the continuing conflict and the months of road closures, checkpoints, curfews and fighting as the prime cause of declining incomes, deteriorating health and less food.

In the West Bank, wholesalers cited road closures as their major obstacle, while shop owners said Israeli incursions and curfews were the cause of most of their difficulties.

In Gaza, both wholesalers and retailers said border closures were by far the greatest source of disruption. In another aspect of the survey, representatives of 724 of the 1,280 households sampled said they had eaten less in the previous two weeks because they didn’t have money.

Larry Garber, the USAID head of mission in the West Bank and Gaza, said his hope is for cooperation from Israelis and Palestinians to alleviate the problem.

*

Daunting Challenge

Earl Wall, director for CARE International in the West Bank and Gaza, said distributing relief goods in the territories under the current conditions is a daunting task. He said his organization has been trying to move medical supplies into the areas in recent weeks.

“It has been terribly difficult for a whole wide range of reasons,” he said.