The barrier compounds the fragmentation of the West Bank by creating non-contiguous enclaves of Palestinian communities and territory, which are isolated from each other and from the remainder of the West Bank. Movement and access for Palestinians is controlled by permits and gates, or channeled through 'Fabric of Life' routes -- secondary roads, tunnels and underpasses created or upgraded by the Israelis to restore transportation contiguity between disconnected Palestinian localities.  

Three United Nations agencies have warned of a decline in Palestinian living standards as a new report shows that high food prices and falling incomes are forcing Palestinian families to manage with less and lower quality food. The main driver of Palestinian food insecurity is of a political nature, as key elements in vulnerability are rooted in the military and administrative measures imposed by the Israeli occupation. 

This report, which follows an ILO delegation visit to the Middle East, depicts a much degraded employment and labour situation. The plight of the Palestinian people has not improved in any fundamental way. Indeed, in a number of respects it has deteriorated alarmingly. With the near total closure of the Gaza Strip following the break up of the national unity government and the continuing impediments to the movement of persons and goods in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem, economic and political life is highly fragmented. 

To date, more than 3,000 Palestinian-owned structures in the West Bank have pending demolition orders, which can be immediately executed without prior warning. At least ten small communities throughout the West Bank at risk of being almost entirely displaced due to the large number of pending demolitions orders. During the first quarter of 2008, Israeli authorities demolished 124 structures due to a lack of permits. In 2007, 208 Palestinian-owned structures have been demolished under the same circumstances. 

The Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) and Shams Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Participation on 12 March 2008 organised the first Forum 'Delivering Security to the People - Challenges to Palestinian Security Sector Governance' in Ramallah. The Forum is a new project by DCAF and Shams to enhance the Palestinian dialogue on security sector reform and to support a sustainable reform process based on the security needs of the Palestinian citizens. 

Despite [Israeli Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert's announcement of a "settlement freeze", construction has been continuing in the settlements, East Jerusalem and the outposts, even after Annapolis. It is not only that existing construction has continued, but new plans have been promoted, construction tenders published and projects approved for marketing. 

This publication aims to focus attention on the deterioration of access for health patients who need to be referred outside of the Gaza Strip to receive the appropriate medical treatment. The publication contains the description of five stories of people who recently died while waiting for a permit to allow them to have access to a hospital outside of Gaza. These are only five of many more cases of common people that during the last months have had the misfortune of becoming severely ill in the Gaza strip. 

This study sheds light on the suffering of tens of thousands of Palestinians whom, since 1967 to this day, are prevented from returning to their villages in Latroun, while at the same time the ruins of their homes are built upon by an Occupying Power the deep-rooted Palestinian history of the land is concealed by parks for Israelis to enjoy their barbecues, masking the crimes and human rights violations committed. 

Tens of thousands of Palestinian Arab Bedouin, the indigenous inhabitants of the Negev region, live in informal shanty towns, or 'unrecognized villages,' in the south of Israel. Discriminatory land and planning policies have made it virtually impossible for Bedouin to build legally where they live, and also exclude them from the state's development plans for the region. 

How do Palestinian citizens see their individual future and the future of their national state still in the making? Do they appreciate democracy and equal rights for minorities or do we have to face tendencies in favour of an authoritarian state with a high inclination to ignore or simply deny the rights of women, religious or ethnic minorities? Starting from these and similar questions, Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty, commissioned an opinion poll on "Liberal Values in the Palestinian Society". 

This document lays out the Palestinian National Authority's vision of an independent Palestinian state. It highlights steps it has already taken to restore good governance and the rule of law to the West Bank - steps it believes demonstrates its commitment to realizing this vision and steps it aspires to replicate in Gaza. 

The United States Department of State's annual report on human rights practices covers both Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and analysis Israel and the Palestinian Authority's adherence to international human rights norms from a U.S. perspective. 

The situation for 1.5 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is worse now than it has ever been since the start of the Israeli military occupation in 1967. The current situation in Gaza is man-made, completely avoidable and, with the necessary political will, can also be reversed. Gaza has suffered from a long-term pattern of economic stagnation and plummeting development indicators.  

This field report covers a period of five days: 27 February to 2 March 2008. It aims to disseminate information about the conduct of the IOF [Israeli Occupation Forces] during its military operation "Warm Winter" in the Gaza Strip, in which the IOF committed new crimes, and to report to all local and international parties interested in advocating for respect of human rights and compliance with international law. 

Human Rights Watch's researchers were on the ground in Lebanon throughout the conflict and after, and our findings paint a quite different picture of the IDF's conduct [than its own internal investigations]. Research in more than 40 towns and villages found that the IDF's use of cluster munitions was both indiscriminate and disproportionate, in violation of international humanitarian law, and in some locations possibly a war crime. 

Lawyers who represent Palestinians in Israeli military and civil courts face obstacles that systematically erode the right of Palestinian detainees to legal representation. Defense attorneys must contend with military orders, Israeli laws and prison procedures that curtail their ability to provide adequate counsel to their clients. This report describes how, from the moment of detention through the process of appeal, lawyers are prevented from giving adequate counsel to Palestinian defendants. 

The West Bank has limited natural resources and its economy depends on trade and remittances from jobs in Israel. Since the majority of the West Bank's trade is with Israel, the current closure regime is forcing many West Bankers into reliance on aid and worsening the already deteriorating socio-economic conditions. UN agencies currently provide food aid to more than 790,650 Palestinians in the West Bank. A dependency, which according to the World Bank, is not temporary. 

In the wake of the June 2007 events and the tightened closure regime imposed on the Gaza Strip, WFP and Al Sahel carried out a survey on the humanitarian situation with a view to assessing the impact of the current crisis on the non refugee population. The overall conclusion of the study is that the restriction on imports and freeze on exports have significantly reduced the livelihood viability of Gazas population, bringing larger segments of the population into the vulnerability circle. 

This report consists of three chapters that contain an opinion poll of journalists on the status of press freedom in the Palestinian territories in 2007, a press freedom barometer and reports on the violations of freedom of the press. We tried to adopt more accurate mechanisms for documenting violations and use a clear scientific approach based on clear-cut definitions. We shed light on controversial issues affecting press freedom, which cannot be ignored in a fast-paced world. 

The military justice system in the Occupied Territories tries thousands of Palestinian civilians prosecuted by the Israel Defense Forces every year. The Military Courts, which have existed for four decades, operate virtually under complete darkness. The report provides the Israeli and international public, for the first time in more than 15 years, with information about a system that serves as a cornerstone of Israeli rule in the West Bank.