west bank and gaza

 

The Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom and other senior officials advocated with Israeli authorities to issue permits for Gazans to travel to Jerusalem and the West Bank for religious reasons. Both the European Union and Norwegian parliaments called for funding restrictions to the Palestinian Ministry of Education if incitement to violence and anti-Semitism were not removed from Palestinian textbooks. Some official PA media channels, as well as social media accounts affiliated with the ruling Fatah political movement, featured content praising or condoning acts of violence, at times referring to assailants as “martyrs.” The Fatah branch in the city of Salfit in March praised Omar Abu Laila – suspected of carrying out an attack in which two Israelis were killed – following his killing by Israeli security forces. Regional stratification was defined in two (the West Bank / Gaza) regions (city and the surrounding business area) throughout the West Bank and Gaza. 2.2366571 c. 970.599.671573 labdeen@worldbank.org may 2011 The substantial borrowing that MENA governments incurred to finance health and social protection measures increased government debt. From 1517 through 1917, the area now known as the West Bank was under Ottoman rule as part of the provinces of Syria. Some converts to unrecognized Christian faiths had recognized churches with which they were previously affiliated perform their marriages and divorces. The Kohlet Policy Forum, an Israeli NGO, assessed that the obligation to provide free access to Jewish religious sites in PA-administered areas of the West Bank lay entirely with the PA under Oslo II and that the PA had failed to fulfill that obligation. The fiscal position for Palestinian Territories has worsened not only due to the outbreak but also due to a political standoff that is disrupting the flow of revenues. In 2018, Aysha al-Rabi, a Palestinian resident of Bidya Village, died when an unidentified individual threw a two-kilogram (4.4 pound) stone through her car windshield. Private Islamic schools also operate in the West Bank. Because religion and ethnicity or nationality are often closely linked, it was difficult to categorize many incidents as being solely based on religious identity. To learn more about cookies, click here. Clergy, nuns, and other religious workers from Arab countries said they continued to face long delays in receiving visas and reported periodic denials of their visa applications. If they want, they themselves can leave. Salafi Muslims in Gaza harassed a musical band with a female singer, eventually leading the band to seek refuge abroad. The Basic Law states Islam is the official religion, but calls for respect of “all other divine religions.” It provides for freedom of belief, worship, and the performance of religious rites unless they violate public order or morality. The pipeline of World Bank grants that is supporting the economy’s recovery phase includes operations in digital development for resiliency, support to essential municipal services, and help to the private sector to support small businesses and job retention. Media reported the Hamas-affiliated Islamic University of Gaza required hijabs for all females. The PA Basic Law, which serves as an interim constitution, establishes Islam as the official religion and states the principles of sharia shall be the main source of legislation, but provides for freedom of belief, worship, and the performance of religious rites unless they violate public order or morality. 2020 has been a tumultuous year for the Palestinian economy, which is suffering the economic fallout of the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as a political standoff that has made it difficult for the Palestinian Authority (PA) to collect tax revenue. There are separate courses on religion for Muslims and Christians. World Population Prospects: 2019 Revision. Fatah published on its official Facebook page a poster of Yunis referring to him as a “martyr.” Several local Fatah chapters on social media referred to individuals who had engaged in terrorist attacks as “martyrs” and posted memorials, including photographs of suicide bombers. The IDF used tear gas, rubber bullets, and live fire to disperse Palestinian protesters, secure the site, or evacuate Jewish worshippers. Foreign pilgrims and religious aid workers also reported difficulty or delays accessing Christian religious sites in the West Bank because of the barrier. Gazan civil society leaders said Hamas in recent years had moderated its restrictions on dress and gender segregation in public. Various Israeli and Palestinian groups continued to protest against interfaith social and romantic relationships and other forms of cooperation. Recognized churches operate private schools in the West Bank, which include religious instruction. Media reported in October that vandals spray painted swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans on the tomb of Joshua Bin-Nun and Kalev Ben Yefune, in the Palestinian village of Kafel Harath (located in Area A), prior to an IDF coordinated visit by Jewish worshippers. The PA released in January an individual holding a Jerusalem identification card whom Palestinian courts had found guilty of participating in the sale of land in Jerusalem to Israelis, and who had been sentenced to life in prison with hard labor. UNOCHA estimated the mosque would have served approximately 300 community members. KEY ISSUES . On August 19, President Abbas’s Advisor on Religious Affairs and Chief Justice of the Sharia Court Mahmoud al-Habbash said the closure was a “declaration of war against Islam and the Muslims,” and he called on Muslims to “religiously defend” the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif, the PA official news agency WAFA reported. In general, however, NGOs, religious institutions, and media continued to state that arrests in religiously motivated crimes against Palestinians rarely led to indictments and convictions. ISO2 code: PS. In June and October unknown individuals threw explosive devices at the shrine from the West Bank. According to local human rights groups and media, Israeli authorities rarely prosecuted Jewish suspects in attacks against Muslims and Christians, failing to open investigations or closing cases for lack of evidence. The West Bank – including East Jerusalem – and the Gaza Strip together constitute the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), which have been … We provide a wide array of financial products and technical assistance, and we help countries share and apply innovative knowledge and solutions to the challenges they face. The PA stated that these payments were social payments for families who lost their primary breadwinner. The PA, however, continued to refuse to recognize personal status legal documents (e.g., marriage certificates) issued by some of these unrecognized churches, which the groups said made it difficult for them to register newborn children under their fathers’ names or as children of married couples. The PA subsequently in March refused to accept any of the remaining approximately 496 million shekels ($144 million) in tax revenues from Israel, which altogether represented approximately 65 percent of the PA’s budget. Thus, assuring Read the country information page. The PA recognized Easter as a public holiday for government employees, after a public outcry in 2018 when it was only given as a holiday to Christian public servants. Status of Societal Respect for Religious Freedom, Section IV. The West Bank and Gaza Partnership for Infrastructure Development Multi Donor Trust Fund (PID MDTF) was established in 2012 to provide financial and technical support for the coverage, quality, and sustainability of Palestinian infrastructure. Senior U.S. officials publicly raised concerns about anti-Semitism by PA officials and more broadly in Palestinian society throughout the year. This supports the coordination of aid and, also, analytical work on energy, education, and private sector development. Some Muslim students in Gaza continued to attend schools run by Christian institutions and NGOs. The Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip (Oslo Accords) stipulated that protection of 12 listed Jewish holy sites and visitors in Area A is the responsibility of the Palestinian police, and created a joint security coordination mechanism to ensure “free, unimpeded and secure access to the relevant Jewish holy site” and “the peaceful use of such site, to prevent any potential instances of disorder and to respond to any incident.” Both sides agreed to “respect and protect the listed below religious rights of Jews, Christians, Muslims and Samaritans” including “protection of the Holy Sites; free access to the Holy Sites; and freedom of worship and practice.”. Besides its support for the multi-donor Trust Funds, the Government of Norway cooperates with the World Bank via the World Bank-administered Norway West Bank and Gaza Support Trust Fund, established in 2014 with a pledge of US$2 million. The government said the closure was done to prevent confrontations. The Commission's assistance currently targets 300 000 Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. U.S. Government Policy and Engagement. In West Bank and Gaza we focus on supporting the private sector competitiveness and innovation, increasing access to finance for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and fostering a sustainable supply of energy. Since 2007, the elected Palestinian Legislative Council, controlled by Hamas, has not convened. There was also harassment by members of one religious group of another, social pressure to stay within one’s religious group, and anti-Semitic content in media. Palestinians living in the portion of the West Bank designated as Area C in the Oslo II Accord are subject to military ordinances enacted by the military commander. The West Bank and the rule of law (The International Commission of Jurists, 1980) , p. 61. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, Section II. On October 6, a guest speaker on another program on PA television, Palestine This Morning, said the children of Israel [Jewish people] were historically never present in the “land of Palestine.” On July 7, official Palestinian television aired a speech by Jordanian Ibrahim Badran describing Israel as “a barbaric, racist state that has outdone what Hitler did.” In March, the PA official daily newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadida published an opinion piece which made anti-Semitic remarks regarding prominent U.S. Jewish officials, according to the National Council of Young Israel. Exercise increased caution in the West Bank due to terrorism and civil unrest. The 1995 Oslo interim agreement split the West Bank and Gaza into three Areas A, B, and C, with different security and administrative arrangements and authorities. Churches not recognized by the PA generally must obtain special one-time permission from the PA to perform marriages or adjudicate personal status matters if these groups want the actions to be recognized by and registered with the PA. The European Union announced in March that it would conduct a review of new Palestinian school textbooks following a study that found them to be more radical than in the past and containing incitement and rejection of peace with Israel. It added that IAA researchers “have greatly intensified their research on ‘non-Jewish’ periods in the history of the land of Israel, [including] the Prehistoric, Early Bronze, Byzantine, Muslim, Mamluk and Ottoman periods.” Some NGOs monitoring archaeological practices in the West Bank continued to state the IAA exploited archaeological finds to bolster Jewish claims, while overlooking other historically significant archaeological finds involving other religions or the needs of Palestinian residents at these sites. Do not travel to the West Bank due to COVID-19, travel restrictions and quarantine procedures instituted by the Palestinian Authority. The law states the principles of sharia shall be the main sources of legislation. Christians also criticized the PA for failing to better protect their communities and way of life, which was under pressure from lack of economic opportunities and other drivers of emigration. On August 23, media reported that the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine detonated an explosive device at a popular tourist site near the West Bank settlement of Dolev, injuring a rabbi and his son and killing his daughter. The city of Hebron in the West Bank – an important city for Jews, Muslims, and Christians as the site of the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs – is divided into two separate areas: area H1 under PA control and area H2, where approximately 800 Israeli settlers live and where internal security, public order, and civil authorities relating to Israelis and their property are under Israeli military control. PA President Abbas granted legal recognition on October 30 to the Council of Local Evangelical Churches, a coalition of evangelical churches operating in the West Bank and Gaza. Hamas courts occasionally prohibited women from departing Gaza due to ongoing divorce or family court proceedings, despite having Israeli authorization to travel. The Bank is also examining the state of the digital economy, assessing the five key pillars of the digital economy—digital infrastructure, digital platforms (public and private), digital finance, digital entrepreneurship and digital skills. Protests in Gaza ahead of, and turbulence since, the Nakba day and relocation of the United States’ embassy to Jerusalem in mid-May, mark Senior White House officials and other U.S. officials repeatedly and publicly pointed out that Palestinian leaders did not consistently condemn individual terrorist attacks nor speak out publicly against members of their institutions, including Fatah, who advocated violence. They also continued to provide separate stipends to Palestinians in Israeli prisons, including those convicted of acts of terrorism. (West Bank and Gaza Strip, UNRWA) Main office: Al - Mashtal Hotel, First Floor, Salah Khalaf Street, P.O. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination released a report in August that expressed concern for the first time about “hate speech in certain media outlets, especially those controlled by Hamas, social media, public officials’ statements, and school curricula and textbooks, which fuels hatred and may incite violence, particularly hate speech against Israelis, which at times also fuels anti-Semitism.”. The government continued to limit Arab Christian clergy serving in the West Bank to single-entry visas, which local parish leaders said complicated needed travel to other areas under their pastoral authority outside the West Bank or Jerusalem, such as Jordan. Israeli authorities declared all legal settlements as restricted Israeli military zones. The IDF continued occasionally to limit access to the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, another site of significance to Jews, Christians, and Muslims as the tomb of Abraham. Offenses against property constituted 16 of these cases. Media reported that NGO Tag Meir, which monitors hate crimes, expressed concern in April after Rabbi Shlomo Avenir of Beit El in the West Bank wrote on a website that burning of the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was “a divine punishment against Christianity,” and that there was a religious duty (“mitzvah”) for Jews to burn Christian churches in Israel, but that it was not worth doing as they would simply be rebuilt. 1978 President Abbas said on Palestinian media on March 24, “We want to achieve our right and our state peacefully…We will not choose a path other than negotiations to achieve our right.” According to Palestinian media, however, based on a translation by the Middle East Media Research Institute, Abbas said on August 10 while visiting a refugee camp, “Jerusalem is ours whether they like it or not…We shall enter Jerusalem – millions of fighters! The territory, excluding East Jerusalem, is also known within Israel by its biblical names, Judea and Samaria. Setting the conditions for increased private investment and job creation. In what could be his first move as president, Joe Biden changed the Twitter title from the U.S. Both Muslims and Jews were able to pray at the site simultaneously in separate spaces, a physical separation that was instituted by the IDF following a 1994 attack by an Israeli that killed 29 Palestinians. The three pillars of the Bank’s assistance strategy are: 1. The U.S. government estimates the total Palestinian population at 2.8 million in the West Bank and 1.9 million in the Gaza Strip (midyear 2019 estimates). As part of the Bank’s support in the electricity sector, a revolving fund contributed by the Bank has financed the installation of rooftop solar photovoltaic systems for Gaza households. For the West Bank and Gaza ES, size stratification was defined as follows: small (5 to 19 employees), medium (20 to 99 employees), and large (100 or more employees). The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination released a report in August 2019 that expressed concern for the first time about “hate speech in certain media outlets, especially those controlled by Hamas, social media, public officials’ statements, and school curricula and textbooks, which fuels hatred and may incite violence, particularly hate speech against Israelis, which at times also fuels anti-Semitism.” In his September UN General Assembly (UNGA) remarks, President Abbas said, “We… reaffirm our condemnation of terrorism in all its forms….” However, he concluded, “We salute our honorable martyrs, courageous prisoners and wounded heroes, and salute their resilient families whom we will not [abandon].” Senior Israeli and Palestinian leaders condemned violent acts, including property crimes, by Jewish individuals and groups against Palestinians. Media reported the PA released in January an individual holding an Israeli residency card that Palestinian courts had found guilty of “seizing/tearing away part of the Palestinian Territories to a foreign State” – participating in a land sale in Jerusalem to Israelis – and who had been sentenced to life in prison with hard labor. “You’re going from soft soil into rock, but the machinery, the … This compared to 100 cases opened against Israelis during 2018, of which 68 were allegations of nationalistic-based offenses. Palestinian and Israeli security forces coordinated some visits by Jewish groups to PA-controlled areas within the West Bank, which generally took place at night to limit the chance of confrontations with Palestinians who opposed the visit. In addition to redirecting ongoing projects to respond to the crisis, the Bank is supporting the Palestinian health response and supporting cash transfer and cash-for-work opportunities to protect vulnerable Palestinians in the West Bank who have fallen into poverty as a result of the pandemic. U.S. representatives met with representatives of religious groups to monitor their concerns about access to religious sites, respect for clergy, and attacks on religious sites and houses of worship, and also met with local Christian leaders to discuss their concerns about ongoing Christian emigration from Jerusalem and the West Bank. There are no seats reserved for members of any other religious group. On July 12, Fathi Hammad, a senior Hamas official, urged Palestinians abroad to kill Jews in Israel and beyond, “All of you seven million Palestinians abroad, enough of the warming up. Some Israelis chose to privately visit Area A, without repercussions. The term "Palestinian territories" has been used for many years to describe the territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. PA President Abbas reiterated support would continue for the families of the prisoners and “martyrs.” In accordance with the July 2018 Israeli Deduction Law – which states that Israel must deduct that portion of the revenues it collects for the PA equal to the expenditures by the PA in the previous year for payments to families of people killed, injured, or imprisoned for attacks on Israel – Israel withheld the monthly sum equal to what the PA paid to them (approximately 41.8 million shekels –$12.1 million) from its monthly clearance transfers to the PA. West Bank and Gaza Investment Guarantee Trust Fund, please contact: Layali H. Abdeen West Bank and Gaza representative multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency t. 972. Increased investment can improve the capacity of the economy, inspire entrepreneurial effort, and generate the jobs that are needed, especially for large numbers of unemployed women and youth. Palestinians at times violently protested when Jewish groups visited holy sites where freedom of access was guaranteed by the PA in the Oslo Accords in the West Bank, particularly Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus. Some Jewish settlers in the West Bank continued to justify “price tag” attacks on Palestinians and their property as efforts to obtain compensation for government actions against the settlers, or as necessary for the defense of Judaism. The IDF restricted Muslims to one entry point, manned by soldiers and metal detectors, while granting Jews access via several entry points that lacked security screening. Palestinians were unable to visit them without Israeli government approval. Palestinians claim the territories for a future independent state. Citing security concerns, the IDF periodically closed roads approaching the site, and since 2001 has permanently closed Shuhada Street, the former main Hebron market and one of the main streets leading to the holy site, to Palestinian-owned vehicles. The Palestinian Constitutional Court dissolved the Palestinian Legislative Council in December 2018 and called for new elections. West Bank and Gaza is a water-scarce lower-middle-income territory with a relatively water-dependent economy and is vulnerable within its geopolitical setting. Those who are foreign to this land have no right to it. West Bank and Gaza: At a Glance The office of the IMF Resident Representative for the West Bank and Gaza was established in July 1995, to help fulfill the IMF’s mandate to assist the Palestinian Authority as specified under the Oslo Accords. Some of these groups may perform some official functions such as issuing marriage licenses. ( 2 ) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, ( 3 ) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, ( 4 ) United Nations Statistical Division. Tel Shiloh is identified with the site of ancient Jewish worship before the construction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Rachel’s Tomb, a Bethlehem shrine of religious significance to Jews, Christians, and Muslims under Israeli jurisdiction in Area C, remained separated from the West Bank by the security barrier built during the Second Intifada, and Palestinians could only access it if Israeli authorities permitted them to cross the barrier. Holders of Palestinian National Authority (PA) travel documents will generally present PA civil documents, but these applicants should apply for police certificates from the government of … The European Union(EU) also has adopted this usage. West Bank and Gaza - COVID New Cases, Deaths, Testing Data - Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center The Human Capital Index (HCI) database provides data at the country level for each of the components of the Human Capital Index as well as for the overall index, disaggregated by gender. It also proscribes discrimination based on religion, calls for respect of “all other divine religions,” and stipulates all citizens are equal before the law. Engagement included meetings with Orthodox, ultra-Orthodox, and Reform rabbis, as well as representatives of various Jewish institutions; regular contacts with the Greek Orthodox, Latin (Roman Catholic), and Armenian Orthodox patriarchates; and meetings with the Holy See’s Custodian of the Holy Land, leaders of the Anglican and Lutheran Churches, the Syrian Orthodox Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and leaders of evangelical Christian groups, as well as Muslim community leaders. As Chair of the AHLC, the Government of Norway is a key development partner to the Palestinians. In his September UNGA remarks, President Abbas said “We… reaffirm our condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and sources.” However, he concluded, “We salute our honorable martyrs, courageous prisoners, and wounded heroes, and salute their resilient families, whom we will not [abandon].” He also said Israel is “[attempting] to violate the sanctity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Church of the Holy Sepulchre,” and to deny worshipers access to the holy sites. WB Country Code: GZ. Actions included killings, physical attacks and verbal harassment of worshipers and clergy, and vandalism of religious sites. As of Feb. 11, the World Health Organization recorded a total of 186,861 confirmed cases and 2,102 deaths from the virus in the West Bank. Israel occupied the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war. According to media accounts, Hamas continued neither to investigate nor prosecute Gaza-based cases of religious discrimination, including reported anti-Christian bias in private sector hiring and in police investigations of anti-Christian harassment. The PA recognizes the legal authority of these religious groups to adjudicate personal status matters such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance. In July an Israeli court ruled that administration of the Tel Shiloh site could remain under the control of the Benjamin district council, with involvement of the Israeli Civil Administration in the site’s management, instead of direct administration by Israeli authorities. An Israeli NGO reported in August that Israeli authorities and settlers prohibited access by Palestinians to several mosques in the West Bank located within Israeli settlements. These churches may not proselytize. The European Union announced in March that it would conduct a review of new Palestinian school textbooks following a study that found them to be more radical than in the past and containing incitement and rejection of peace with Israel. The West Bank – including East Jerusalem – and the Gaza Strip together constitute the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), which have been … According to the NGO Middle East Media Research Institute, Maryam Abu Moussa, identified as a “Gaza Return Activist,” told a foreign television network that Palestinians would soon bury the Jews in “the ditches of Hitler.” She added that when Hitler ordered the Russians to dig ditches to bury the Jews in World War II, they refused to do so because they were “humane.” Conversely, she said when Hitler ordered the Jews to bury the Russians in ditches, “they did so immediately.”. Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom, Abuses by Foreign Forces and Nonstate Actors, Section III. West Bank and Gaza: Crowded roads are common in the West Bank and Gaza. The PA also observes subsequent agreements that recognize the rights of the Episcopal (Anglican) and Evangelical Lutheran Churches. A majority of Christians are Greek Orthodox; the remainder includes Roman Catholics, Melkite Greek Catholics, Syrian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Catholics, Coptic Orthodox, Maronites, Ethiopian Orthodox, Syrian Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, other Protestant denominations, including evangelical Christians, and small numbers of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Authorities in the West Bank and Gaza limited and restricted Palestinian residents’ freedoms of peaceful assembly and association. The 1997 Notice then stated that the West Bank and Gaza should be considered one territory, thus permitting the label "West Bank and Gaza" or … Through the Bank’s support in the area of education-to-work transition, about 11,000 students (nearly 2,500 in the last year alone), 46 percent of them women, have completed work practice and job placement programs that provide real-life experience to graduates of Teacher Education Institutions.