(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
[assistance] 9.april is traveling Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Raymond Johansen to the Middle East in an effort to facilitate the closure regime for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. The meetings in Jerusalem, Ramallah and Cairo are ahead of an international donor country conference in London 2. May to be headed by Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. As leader of the donor country group (AHLC), Norway is particularly keen to liquidate the well-established 600 check posts in the West Bank, and to open the borders to Gaza. Several new reports, including from the Norwegian research foundation Fafo, show that the Palestinians themselves have little faith in the peace process and the role of the international donors.
- As the leader of the AHLC, we emphasize in our dialogue with Israel to facilitate the closure. It is very important now to make positive changes on the ground, says Erik B. Husem, adviser in the Middle East Section.
Little confidence
But it is more than fences that make the Middle East peace process difficult. The Fafo study shows, among other things, that a majority of Palestinians believe aid from the West is helping to increase the conflict between Fatah and Hamas.
When asked about bilateral assistance to the Palestinian government in the West Bank, the factional struggle between Hamas and Fatah spurs 69 percent to say yes. In a report from the think tank International Crisis Group, several of the actors interviewed in Gaza respond that they are partly holding the international community responsible for the ongoing divide among the Palestinians. Researcher Gro Hasselknippe at Fafo has registered increased distrust with the activities of the international community towards the Palestinians.
"Israel is mostly to blame for the Palestinians' insecurity, but the international community is to blame more than before," Hasselknippe said at the presentation of Fafo's report.
- We have some understanding for this, but blaming the international community for the division in the Palestinian community is too simple. There are many things that come into play here, Husem counters.
Norway with good reputation
Kirsten Belck-Olsen, local representative of Norwegian People's Aid in Gaza, is not surprised by the Palestinians' distrust of international aid, but points out that there is a difference between the bilateral assistance given to Fatah-controlled authorities in the West Bank and the assistance that comes through the voluntary organizations. She believes People's Aid and other Norwegian organizations have a good reputation in the Palestinian territories.
-The Norwegian People's Aid does all the time is to try to balance, we have supported civil society and local organizations that do not belong to any special faction or party. Our local employees are very conscious of this, says Belck-Olsen.
What both Fafo and the ICG report show is that the Palestinians themselves believe they are getting worse living conditions. This is especially true in Gaza, where 1.5 million people are more or less locked up in high fences. Israel has for some time blocked all goods transport onto the strip, which earlier this year led to Hamas tearing down parts of the wall in the south toward Egypt. The wall has now been rebuilt and some imports of basic goods are allowed to the population. Belck-Olsen agrees with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the closure regime must go away.
- The most important thing in Gaza right now is to have the blockade lifted. What people want in Gaza is not very complicated, they want to be able to travel freely, they want to be able to work and they want the kids to be able to go to school safely. There are many who live on very little. If you get an improvement in the economy, it will probably also do something with the security of Israel, says Belck-Olsen.
