USAID/OTI West Bank and Gaza Field Report
December 2005
Program Description
USAID's Office of Transition Initiatives (USAID/OTI) program in the West Bank and Gaza, begun in June 2005, is designed to respond quickly and flexibly to Palestinian priorities. The program's aim is to promote good governance and youth empowerment.
OTI’s objectives are to:
- Increase the ability of Palestinian national and local government to respond to citizen priorities.
- Increase the participation of youths in social, political and economic life.
OTI will provide in-kind grants to local Palestinian entities that:
- Support positive interaction and coordination among local government institutions, the central Palestinian Authority, local communities, and civil society organizations.
- Promote participatory decision-making at the community level.
- Engage Palestinian youths in activities that are constructive and improve their quality of life.
- Facilitate the flow of accurate information from multiple viewpoints.
Working with nongovernmental organizations, informal community groups, media entities, and national and local government officials whenever possible, OTI identifies and supports critical initiatives that move the region along the continuum from conflict to peace. ARD Inc. implements the $10 million small-grants program and manages OTI offices in Ramallah, Hebron, Nablus, Gaza City, and Jerusalem.
The OTI initiative will complement USAID's longer-term development objectives, with a special emphasis on work with youth and local government. The small-grants program will be closely coordinated with the PA. Small grants range from $10,000 to $100,000 and will address the priority needs identified by local communities. To the end of December 2005, OTI has cleared 55 grants for a total of $3.0 million.
Country Situation
Israeli Political Environment – Prime Minister Sharon suffered a minor stroke on December 18 and speculation surrounding his health has been a source of concern in the Israeli political scene. Sharon's new "Kadima" party had been leading by a significant margin in the Israeli polls ahead of the March 28 elections. Although the PM survived the stroke and has resumed his post, the incident raised speculation on the strength of the new Kadima party as well as the political future of Israel in general should the PM leave the political scene unexpectedly.
Palestinian Municipal Elections – Hamas proved a formidable opponent over a splintered Fatah party in the fourth round of local elections held December 15. Over 1,000,000 Palestinians now live in municipalities governed by Hamas, compared with about 700,000 in municipalities controlled by the hitherto dominant Palestinian movement, Fatah. As the election cycle continues USAID West Bank/Gaza mission will have to carefully examine its current strategy for engaging and delivering assistance to the Palestinian people.
Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) Elections – The Palestinian election scene remains in flux. The main political party, Fatah, has experienced severe internal unrest and its apparent inability to heal deep internal fractures is placing Hamas in a much stronger position ahead of the January 25 legislative elections. President Abbas is under growing pressure to postpone the elections due to mounting concerns about a possible Hamas victory, and ambiguity regarding whether Israel will allow Palestinians to vote in East Jerusalem. Hamas, for its part, has reaffirmed its position that legislative elections must take place on time, that calm must prevail, and that all parties must respect the Palestinian will and democratic choice.
Security and Law and Order – The impending PLC elections continue to wreak havoc on the security situation in both the West Bank and Gaza. Attacks by armed gunmen on Central Elections Commission offices and voting stations were frequent during the December 15 municipal elections and the following days designated for the registration of PLC candidate lists. In addition, a suicide bombing in Netanya during the first week of December, the subsequent stabbing of an Israeli soldier at a West Bank checkpoint, and a series of Kassam rocket attacks on Israel led to significant internal closures and the Israeli imposition of a "buffer zone" in the northern Gaza Strip. Two thousand Palestinians staged a protest on 20 December in Gaza City, voicing frustration at continued safety and security chaos.
Agreement on Access and Movement – The agreement negotiated by Secretary of State Rice included a number of December deadlines for crossings, convoys and movement within the West Bank. While the Israeli Defense Ministry decided on 15 December to delay the launch of Palestinian bus convoys between Gaza and the West Bank, the Gaza crossing points operated almost continuously throughout December. Palestinians succeeded in exporting tons of agricultural crops grown in Gaza greenhouses, boosting hopes of revitalizing Gaza's ailing economy.
USAID/OTI Highlights
A. Narrative Summary
In light of Israeli disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, critical windows of opportunity have emerged and USAID is taking a lead in initiating an immediate, short-term strategy for delivering targeted assistance. The strategy's desired effect is reflective of a U.S. Government priority to support moderate, reform-oriented democratic candidates in the local and national Palestinian elections in December and January.
To achieve the objective, USAID is providing assistance in collaboration with Palestinian Authority representatives as well as other moderate leaders at the municipal level in the West Bank and Gaza and across all sectors, such as media, infrastructure, health and agriculture. To this end OTI has cleared ten grants this month, totaling just over $711,000. Nine of these eleven grants amounting to almost $711,000 went to support the initiatives created to assist the Palestinian Authority improve communication between national authorities and citizens about assistance in the West Bank and Gaza as well as create positive change in the lives of Palestinian people.
In particular, four of these nine national-level grants provided assistance to the Palestinian Authority to enhance services and operations, as well as to improve traveler facilities, at the Rafah and Jericho crossings during the peak travel season. Another provided the Palestinian Authority's Office of the President with in-house public relations expertise necessary to develop and implement a public outreach and awareness campaign to encourage participation in the upcoming Legislative Council elections. As an additional enhancement to the PA's ability to conduct public outreach, one final national-level grant was cleared designed to increase public awareness of the efforts made by the Palestinian Authority to create tangible and visible benefits for citizens through a one-day curbstone painting activity linked to a local media outreach campaign.
Stand-alone grants targeting the key population centers of Ramallah and Gaza City will work to build public confidence in local municipalities through the improvement of public channels of communication between the municipalities and their constituents and the improvement of the municipalities' ability to respond to pressing citizen priorities.
B. Grants Activity Summary
| Transparency/Good Governance |
3 |
$284,833 |
8 |
$ 405,274 |
| Community Impact Activities |
5 |
$366,342 |
33 |
$ 155,455 |
| Media |
2 |
$120,773 |
14 |
$1,326,344 |
| Total |
10 |
$771,948 |
55 |
$3,007,755 |
C. Indicators of Success
OTI's focus during December centered creating opportunities and hope for economic revitalization, to address the deteriorating safety and security issues facing the West Bank and Gaza, and to create a positive environment in which to conduct municipal and legislative elections. In Bethlehem, a city struggling from a downturn in tourism due to the construction of the Israeli Separation Barrier now dividing Bethlehem from Jerusalem, economic revitalization during the annual holiday celebrations was essential to create hope for the future of the city. OTI brought together local resources to create a "Christmas Market," a venue for artists to perform and sell their crafts. Leading up to the weeklong celebration, OTI worked quickly to upgrade roads, paint walls and re-tile walkways which provided a lasting, visible and income enhancing contribution to citizens of Bethlehem. OTI's grant worked to positively influence public perceptions about a return to normal life, celebrate traditions that promote a return to "normalcy" and security as well as provide an opportunity for local artisans to generate income through access to markets that have been fragmented.
The annual travel rush began mid-December at the Palestinian border crossings located in Jericho and Rafah, both high-volume crossing points in need of significant renovations. USAID, together with the PA Office of the President, worked quickly to ready the crossings with the aim of increasing the quality and speed of the crossing process and improve the overall experience for Palestinian travelers. This was a significant moment for both travelers and the PA, as it took place less than a month after the historic handover of Rafah to the Palestinian Authority, marking the first time that an international border crossing has been transferred to PA control. In addition to structural and cosmetic improvements made to the arrival and departure halls at the crossings including the provision of additional seating, wheel chairs, luggage carts, as well as equipment to facilitate the processing of passengers such as computers, faxes and copiers, - PA officials and police offered over 9,500 traveler's packages containing water, juice and food when they reached the terminal.
The Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution, a nongovernmental organization partially funded by USAID/OTI, has been building a community-based awareness and mobilization campaign to promote communication, trust and collaboration between communities and security agencies to restore safety and security. A series of 24 town hall meetings and two national workshops were held throughout December that brought together citizens, community leaders and Palestinian Authority officials to discuss safety concerns, re-initiate communication, and develop intervention strategies. A simultaneous multi-media campaign was implemented to help build public support for the rule of law and respect for official security services as the solution to public safety. To culminate this phase of the campaign, 2,000 citizens peacefully gathered and marched on December 20 at Al Muntada, the Presidential Office in Gaza City, demanding an end to violence and a restoration of law and order. Arriving in 40 buses from every corner of the Gaza Strip, the participants represented all segments of the population: children, students, workers, women, men, and civic leaders. They all expressed in word and action their right to live in peace and safety.
D. Program Appraisal
USAID/OTI West Bank Gaza team held an interim strategy meeting to review grants to date ahead of the upcoming PLC elections and evaluate the strategic assumptions and objectives since program start-up. Area Mangers representing the West Bank and Gaza attended the meeting in Jerusalem along with international staff for a full day discussion facilitated by an OTI field advisor. The team plans to revise the current strategy following the elections and the February closure of another USAID contract also implemented by ARD.
Significant security incidents, such as the December 5 suicide bombing in Netanya, the December 8 stabbing of an Israeli soldier at the Kalandia checkpoint, and the most recent imposition of a "buffer zone" in northern Gaza led to increased violence and closures and continued to impact OTI's ability to develop and implement grants at a more rapid pace. In each case, movement of goods and people was slowed, or in some instances stopped completely, for a period of time following the incident. Due to these constraints a full program team meeting was not possible but international staff was able to meet twice weekly to make decisions on program and administrative issues. It is anticipated that travel restrictions will continue to challenge grant development and the oversight of this program.
Next Steps/Immediate Priorities
In January, OTI/West Bank and Gaza will:
- Continue to support the implementation of USAID's strategy for the West Bank and Gaza, an immediate, short-term strategy developed in the wake of disengagement.
- Continue to focus on new grant development, with particular attention to national level initiatives in the run-up to Palestinian elections.
- In conjunction with the USAID mission develop a strategy for engagement post PLC elections.
- Work closely to assist the Palestinian Authority with outreach efforts across the West Bank and Gaza.
- Maintain deep engagement with implementing-partner staff on needed systems and processes related to grant development, implementation and evaluation.
For further information, please contact:
In Washington, D.C.: Justin Sherman, Asia and Near East Team Leader, e-mail: jsherman@usaid.gov
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