Press Releases

On the Main Findings of the Impact of the Wall and its Associated Regime on the Forced Displacement of the Palestinians in Jerusalem, June 2006

For Immediate Release

No. (E/18/06)

4 July 2006


 

Today, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) and BADIL Resource Center released the main findings of a joint survey of the impact of Israel's illegal Wall under construction on Jerusalem's Palestinian population at a press conference held at the Orthodox Club, Jerusalem.

 

The findings were released on the occasion of the second anniversary of the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on Israel's Wall in occupied Palestinian Territory. Below is a summary of the main data as presented at today's press conference.

 

----------------------------

 

Press Release

 

On the Main Findings of the Impact of the Wall and its Associated Regime on the Forced Displacement of the Palestinians in Jerusalem,

June 2006

 

Within the framework of the PCBS surveillance system on impact of the Israeli measures on the wellbeing of the Palestinian people, PCBS conducted in cooperation with BADIL, the Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights, a household survey on the impact of wall on forced displacement in Jerusalem. The sample size of the survey is 1,008 households; interviews were completed with 981 households comprising 5,148 persons. The main objective of this survey is to quantify the impact of the wall on the forced displacement of the Palestinian people in Jerusalem and on their social and economic conditions.  Data collection took place between 15 May and 10 June 2006.  The following summarizes the main findings of the survey. 

 

Changing Place of Residence 

The results of the survey show that 32.9% of the Jerusalemite people have changed their last place of residence.  This percentage reached 29.7% for those living in localities inside the wall, against 83.3% from localities outside the wall.  The percentage of persons who changed their place of residence for the first time after the beginning of constructing the wall in 2002 amounted to 53.9% of the total persons who have involuntarity changed their pervious place of residence (54.9% inside the wall and 51.7% outside the wall).  The wall and its associated regime was the main cause for changing the place of residence for 17.3% of all persons who have changed their pervious place of residence.

 

At the household level, the results reveal that 18.9% of the Jerusalemite households have changed their previous place of residence (11.7% of those inside the wall and 32.2% outside the wall). The wall and its associated regime was the cause of 34.8% of these changes.

 

The percentage of persons (16 years and over) who thought in the past to change their current place of residence due to the wall and its associated regime is 52.2% (51.4% inside the wall and 52.8% outside the wall). The percentage of those currently thinking to change their place of residence due to the wall and its associated regime is 63.8% (78.9% inside the wall and 58.0% outside the wall).

 

Requirement to Stay in the Current Place of Residence

The results show that 86.7% of persons (16 years and over) in Jerusalem governorate require adquate services in order to be encouraged to stay in their place of residence (91.8% inside the wall and 63.6% outside the wall). Availability of adequate infrastructure was the requirement of 84.8% (88.6% inside the wall and 77.9% outside the wall).  In addition, 76.9% (89.6%inside the wall and 53.7% outside the wall) of the household required social security, and 72.9% asked for suitable jobs (77.9% inside the wall and 63.6% outside the wall).

 

Land Confiscation

The results reveal that the percentage of households in Jerusalem governorate who had all or part of their land confiscated is 19.2% (5.3% inside of the wall and 31.4% outside of the wall).

 

Impact of the Wall on Education

The results of the survey show that 80.0% of the households with students in higher education used alternative roads to reach university/college.  About 75.2% of the households with students enrolled in basic/secondary education reported use of alternative roads to reach schools. In addition, 72.1% of the households with students in higher education were forced to be sometimes absent from university, compared with 69.4% for households with students enrolled in basic/secondary education.

 

Separation from Relatives due to the Wall

About 21.4% of Palestinian households reported to have at least one member who was separated from relatives (15.5% inside of the wall and 32.6% outside of the wall).  In addition, 18.0% of the Palestinian households in Jerusalem governorate are separated from the father (14.3% inside of the wall and 26.2% outside of the wall), whereas 12.7% of the households are separated from the mother (12.9% inside of the wall and 12.3% outside of the wall).

 

Access to Health Services

The results of the survey show that access to health centers in the center of town was a difficulty for 34.5% of the households in Jerusalem governorate (5.8% inside of the wall and 88.3% outside of the wall). The inability of medical staff to reach health centers is an obstacle for 31.3% of the households (4.4% inside of the wall and 81.8% outside of the wall).

 

Population Mobility

The results show that the time spent to pass checkpoints was an obstacle for 94.7% of the households (94.5% inside of the wall and 95.0% outside of the wall), whereas timing of passage was considered an obstacle for 92.7% of the households (93.4% inside of the wall and 91.2% outside of the wall).

 

Impact of the Wall on Social Networking

The results reveal that the ability of 84.6% of the households in Jerusalem to visit family and relatives has been affected by the wall (84.3% inside of the wall and 85.2% outside of the wall). About 56.3% of the households were affected in their ability to practice cultural and social activities and entertainment (48.5% inside of the wall and 70.5% outside of the wall). The wall has also affected the ability of 40.0% of the households to visit religious and holy sites. The survey results indicate also that the percentage of households who faced obstacles to marrying a partner living on the other side of the wall has increased from 31.6% before the construction of the wall to 69.4% after construction of the wall