Ref: 38/2011
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR)
published a new report on “Impact of the Closure Policy on Agricultural
Exports in the Gaza Strip.” The report addresses the impact of the policy
of total closure that has been imposed by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) since
mid June 2007 on the agricultural sector in Gaza during the agricultural season
2010-2011. It highlights the reflections of this policy on the different
aspects of the agricultural sector, especially the losses resulting from the
suspension of the exportation of agricultural products to external markets
during the agricultural season extending from November 2010 to April 2011. The
report indicates that bulldozing actions by IOF against Palestinian
agricultural lands have resulted in serious damages and inflicted heavy
material losses on Palestinian farmers in the Gaza Strip. According to the
report, the area of cultivated lands has been reduced by 7.5% due to bulldozing
actions by IOF against the cultivated area in the Gaza Strip. It presents
statistics on lands and agricultural facilities that have been subjected to
bulldozing works since the beginning of the Second Intifada. It indicates that
approximately 48,051 dunums[1]
of cultivated lands have been bulldozed, and 2,358 water wells have been
totally or partially damaged. IOF also
destroyed 392 agricultural water pools, 1,262 greenhouses and 76,585 square
meters on which agricultural shelters, establishments and water wells were
erected.
The report concludes that during the
agricultural season 2010-2011, IOF have deprived the Palestinian farmers in the
Gaza Strip of exporting their products to external markets in the West Bank,
Jordan and Israel. This has resulted in a decrease in agricultural products
exported from the Gaza Strip to external markets. IOF have imposed a total ban
on the exportation of Gaza’s agricultural products, except limited quantities
of flowers, strawberries, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes which were exported
to European markets. The report refutes IOF’s allegations regarding the easing
of the closure and allowing the exportation of Gaza’s agricultural products. It
illustrates that over the agricultural season 2010-2011, IOF allowed the
exportation of 287 truckloads of agricultural products, including 82 truckloads
of flowers, 384 truckloads of strawberries, 3 truckloads of bell peppers and 3
truckloads of cherry tomato.
The report also indicates that Palestinian
farmers in the Gaza Strip suffered heavy losses and were unable to export all
their products to external markets and they were forced to reduce the area of
lands cultivated with export oriented crops.
It should be noted that PCHR has exerted
efforts to follow up and document the impacts of the total closure imposed on
the agricultural sector in the Gaza Strip. Since tightening the siege on the
Gaza Strip in mid June 2007; PCHR has published many reports on the agricultural
sector as part of PCHR’s continued follow-up of the agriculture sector and the
conditions of the Palestinian farmers in the Gaza Strip.
