May 8, 2023
PCHR Warns of implications of World Food Program’s Decision to Suspend Food Aid to Over 200,000 Palestinians
PCHR Warns of implications of World Food Program’s Decision to Suspend Food Aid to Over 200,000 Palestinians

Ref: 49/2023

Date: 08 May 2023

Time: 11:45 GMT 

The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) follows with grave concern the World Food Program (WFP’s) decision to suspend food aid to over 200,000 Palestinians, which is 60% of its current case load, from June due to a severe shortage of funds. By this decision, the poor families in the Gaza Strip will be the most impacted, as more than half of the population (53%) live in poverty and 64.4% are 1food insecure, including families who are severely food insecure with a significant consumption gap (40.6%) in addition to 23.6% who are moderately food insecure, meaning that they face issues with either the quantity or quality of food consumed.2

According to media statements, Samer ‘AbdulJaber, the WFP’s country director, said “In light of the severe funding shortages, WFP is forced to make painful choices to stretch the limited resources. WFP would have to start suspending assistance to over 200,000 people, which is 60 percent of its current case load, from June 2023.” ‘AbdulJabbar added that WFP is forced to suspend entirely by August unless it receives sufficient funds.3

WFP provides food aid to the impoverished non-refugee Palestinians by offering foodstuffs and vouchers with a value of 10$ per person monthly.  34,471 Palestinian families benefit from this program (11,141 in the West Bank and 23,330 in the Gaza Strip).4

According to the UN General Assembly Resolution (43/178) of 19885, which recognized the difficulty of achieving development for the Palestinian people in light of the continuing occupation. Therefore, the Israeli policies based on the restrictions on movement of persons and goods, natural resource pillage, and settlement expansion impede the Palestinians’ enjoyment of the rights necessary for increasing their ability to eradicate poverty, such as their right to self-determination, achieving sustainable development, right to movement, and right to life.

PCHR believes that at a time all productive sectors, basic social services and infrastructure deteriorates in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) due to the ongoing Israeli policies, 16-year closure on the Gaza Strip and four widescale offensives, during which the Israeli occupation has deliberately destroyed civilian facilities and undermined the work of factories and economic facilities that had catastrophic effects on the Palestinians, the international community should assume its responsibilities and provide to the greatest extend possible protection to the Palestinian population, as well as fulfilling their obligation to support international programs that provide financial and food aid to the impoverished and avoiding any further deterioration of the aggravating humanitarian situation in Palestine.       

PCHR warns of the implications of the WFP’s decision to decrease the number of Palestinian beneficiaries, and its impact on the high food insecurity rates and the deterioration of the economic and social conditions of the poor. PCHR urges the UN humanitarian agencies to provide the funding necessary for the operation of the World Food Program and other humanitarian programs in Palestine.

 

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  1. WFP Palestine Country Brief March 2023: https://docs.wfp.org/api/documents/WFP-0000148660/download/?_ga=2.35293922.2103400609.1683530672-1033757308.1683530672 ↩︎
  2. Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute- MAS: https://mas.ps/en/SEFSEC ↩︎
  3. World Food Program to suspend aid to Palestinians due to funding shortage, Reuters. ↩︎
  4. The Ministry of Social Development, Annual Statistical Report: https://www.mosd.gov.ps/uploads/1653306170635320869.pdf ↩︎
  5. UN General Assembly Resolution (178/43) Israeli practices affecting the human rights of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory: https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/429232?ln=en ↩︎