During the past two years the Palestinian Authority has made major progress in building the central institutions. It is important in regard to a future independent state. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations have all made it clear that the Palestinian Authority is ready to take upon itself the responsibility of state. But there has been little progress in the peace process with Israel.

Some of the most difficult issues for the Palestinians under occupation are the continuous expansion of Israeli settlements on the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. The Gaza blockade has limited the population’s opportunities for movement and it hinders economic activity in and out of the area.

 Historically and politically the background for Norwegian aid to the Palestinian territories has been a wish to contribute to the forming of a Palestinian state – that is, a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. Therefore, institution building on the Palestinian side is a priority area.

In addition, the main areas are general budget support, education and energy.

Budget Support

Most of the Norwegian budget support goes towards financing the public services such as health and education. Receiving salaries each month on the same date means a lot for civil servants and this in turn creates positive ripple effects in the Palestinian society.  Ensuring payment of salaries also means a lot for the economy on the West Bank and in Gaza.

Norway contributed a total of 308 million NOK in 2011 in budget support and Norway is one of the biggest donors.

Education

The education sector has faced major challenges. Blockade of the Gaza Strip, shortage of schools and problems with gaining permission for building new schools in East Jerusalem has made it difficult to maintain the education opportunities. In addition the authorities had to face consequences of the financial crisis. Phase two in the cooperation with the Palestinian education authorities concluded in 2011. The concluding report shows that the target of ensuring access to good education and improving education administration has been achieved to a great degree. Support towards education amounted to 12.3 million NOK in 2011.

Initiatives and Results:

• Construction of seven new schools with 129 classrooms
• Expansion and renovation of 55 schools with 86 classrooms
• Construction of three administration buildings with 102 offices
• Construction of an industrial vocational school for both boys and girls
• Further education of 11 400 teachers
• Over 630 schools have received equipment and furniture

Energy

The authorities have high costs of electricity which is bought from Israel. A project run with Norway’s assistance aims at reducing these costs by, among other things, contributing towards a higher level of payments among the consumers.

Result:

Cost of electricity for the authorities has reduced from 232 million NOK in 2008 to 154 million NOK in 2011. Purchase of 229 000 meters in collaboration with France is under way and the installation of these meters will help to further reduce the costs for the authorities. Through an agreement with Norway the energy authorities have also ensured that 50 villages in the Hebron area have gained access to electricity.

Health

Norwegian organisations carry out extensive health work, for instance, efforts by NORWAC to enhance the competence and infra-structure at Makassed Hospital in East Jerusalem and Shifa Hospital in Gaza. Enhancement of competence takes place in collaboration with Oslo University Hospital. NORWAC is also contributing towards increasing capacity in the Cancer Department of Augusta Viktoria Hospital.

Culture

The Norwegian efforts are aimed at strengthening the Palestinian identity, with literature, music and visual arts being the import tools in this task. The Palestinian territories were one of the five countries chosen to be focused upon in an evaluation of the Strategy for Norway’s Culture and Sports Cooperation with Countries in the South undertaken in 2011. In the summary of the report about the Palestinian territories, the evaluation team concluded: “Norway’s support to the cultural institutions has proven to be an important tool in the building of the Palestinian state.

Here are some of the results:

• Collaboration for ”Music for Everyone ” among Sabreen, Concerts Norway, the Norwegian Ministry of Education, UNRWA and the Latin Patriarch has resulted in extending music teaching to 960 schools (for three year levels).
• Yabous inaugurated its newly restored cultural centre in East Jerusalem in 2011.

Human Rights

The representative office of Norway supports a number of civil society organisations that work with strengthening the human rights. The human rights situation in the Palestinian territories witnessed an improvement in 2011 through decline in the number of complaints about violation of human rights received by the Independent Commission on Human Rights.  The Palestinian authorities have improved legal safeguards on the West Bank as it is no longer permissible to try civilians in military courts.

Women and Gender Equality

The government’s ”Action plan for women’s rights and gender equality in development cooperation (2007 – 2013)” is followed up by making women’s participation and gender equality a natural part of all projects supported by Norway. Some projects are directly aimed at women. Following are two examples:

• Women from women’s centres in villages on the West Bank receive training to run school canteens including production of healthy, affordable school food. Women are also offered courses in accounting, administration and operation of canteens. This provides better nutrition to the children – and women get an opportunity to create their own workplaces.
• One example of grass root work is Palestinian Family Planning &Protection Association, which has provided information, access to health services and guidance as well as raised awareness about the sexual and reproductive health of the youth and women in East Jerusalem and villages behind the wall.

Norway also supports a number of Palestinian grass root organisations that work for women’s political participation, sexual rights, reproductive health and protection against violence. A survey from 2011 shows that a major shift has taken place in the level of awareness and attitudes of the youth and women when it comes to family planning and access to health services. (Dr Sumaya Sayej, PFPPA, 2011/12).

Palestinian Refugees

There are five million registered Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Gaza and the West Bank. The UN organisation UNRWA works for ensuring education, health, social services and humanitarian aid to these refugees. Norway’s aid in 2011 amounted to 150 million NOK.

Results:

• In 2011 UNRWA’s health personnel offered over 10 million medical consultations to the Palestinian refugees. On average it is 100 consultations per doctor per day.
• About 730 000 dentist consultations and over 260 000 dental check-ups have been completed.
• Over 100 000 pregnant women (an estimated 70 per cent of all pregnant Palestinian refugees) were provided health checks during 2011.
• UNRWA runs 700 schools for a total of 486 754 students.
• All students are offered health checks, vaccinations, hearing and optical tests, dental consultations, vitamin supplements and health education.
• The Norwegian supported education on human rights involves 220 000 students in all UNRWA schools in Gaza.
• UNRWA’s Norwegian supported women’s project is the most extensive one in Gaza. The project runs just under 30 women’s centres and gives the Palestinian women a social meeting place outside the home. The centres have more than 40 000 users on annual basis. 

Property Rights

According to calculations 24 000 houses have been destroyed on the West Bank, in East Jerusalem and on the Gaza Strip since 1967 (Norad’s Result Report 2011). This has resulted in forced relocations, increased poverty and decreased access to services such as water, health and education. For the Norwegian authorities it is politically important to support the protection the Palestinians’ basic human rights. Therefore, legal assistance has been provided to resolve property disputes and avoid demolition of houses.

Hebron Rehabilitation Committee (HRC) has for instance helped increase the number of residents in the old city in Hebron from 400 in 1996 to 5500 in 2010. Most of those who have settled in the area live in houses rehabilitated by HRC. The legal unit of HRC assisted the Palestinian shop-owners and families to get their properties back through a ruling in the Israeli Supreme Court.  These rulings have protected the rights of the Palestinians.

The organisation Maán renovated 150 houses with Norway’s aid in the period 2006 – 2011. For Beduin families in the Jordan Valley it means that they can continue to live there and farm the land for their living.

Norway continued in 2011 its support to Civic Coalition for defending Palestinian rights in East Jerusalem. Palestinians in East Jerusalem have less access to schools and other municipal services than the Israelis in this urban district. An important victory was gained when the Israelis postponed the decision of forcing all private schools in East Jerusalem to buy text books from the Israeli education department in the municipality.

Rebuilding Gaza

After the Gaza war Norway took initiative for a project aimed at ensuring import of construction materials from Israel. It has been a huge success: construction materials valued at a total of around 55 million dollars were brought in for aid projects in Gaza in 2011. This has resulted in a growing economy that would not have been possible otherwise. United Nations Development Program has been our project partner.

Negotiations

Norway took over as the leader of the donor group when a new three-year deal was signed in the summer of 2011. The Secretariat has also assisted the Palestinian leadership with preparing documents and positions in relation to the application for membership in the UN.