Dr. Nasir's words are prophetic. Palestine's future success as an independent nation is based on a highly educated and capable population. Future leaders must be educated and prepared now! United Palestinian Appeal has supported educating Palestinians for many years under its core mission of "building independence." However, students are facing increasingly more difficult challenges in pursuit of their education.

On a daily basis, Palestinian students face the physical barriers of roadblocks and checkpoints on their way to and from school. They face the physical challenges of deteriorating school buildings and under-supplied and under-equipped classrooms. Students in Palestine face the physical barriers of school buildings which have their water and electricity cut off on a regular basis. Students in the occupied territories live with the daily threat of curfews and school closings. Even under these extremely challenging conditions, Palestinian students have performed exceptionally well on all performance standards.

Read the full article here >>

Download UPA Education Information >>

Read the composition "What I Learned in Palestine" >>

The one year anniversary of the man-made catastrophe inflicted on Gaza during Israel’s Operation Cast Lead and the heart-breaking natural catastrophe in Haiti are eerily close. Gratefully, the world is rallying to the aid of Haiti and Haitians with star-studied telethons which raised millions of dollars; governments from around the world are sending people, materials, and equipment to both rescue the survivors and rebuild the country; companies from every corner of the globe are soliciting funds from their employees, customers and clients to support Haitian relief; humanitarian, charitable, and faith-based organizations are collaborating to provide needed services to the victims of the devastation; and Gazans have contributed to this world-wide effort.

Unfortunately, the situation in Gaza - one year later - appears to be worsening. Living conditions are deteriorating rapidly. Over one and a half million Gazans are still subject to the air-tight siege imposed by Israel and Egypt. The world seems to be reluctant or unwilling to respond to this man-made catastrophe. Throughout these past 12 months it has become clear that many people know very little about this small part of the world. In addition, we have not learned about the realities in Gaza during the aftermath of the invasion from our mass media sources.

This is our effort to share with you the facts about Gaza’s geography, people, and living conditions. Please use this knowledge to inform your attitudes about Gaza. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact us.

Facts About Gaza

Geography

• 139 square miles, about 25 miles long and 5 to 7 miles wide (about twice the size of Washington, DC)
• 10,400 people per square mile (most densely populated area in the world)
• Northern and eastern borders with Israel and southern border with Egypt; western border is the Mediterranean Sea
• Israel controls the northern and eastern borders, the Mediterranean coast and maritime waters; Egypt controls the southern border
• Israel controls Gazan air space (Israel destroyed the airport in 2000)
• Gaza has been under virtual siege since 2000, with Israel controlling what and when things (and people) enter or leave Gaza

People

• 1,545,000 Gazans live in the Strip (interesting facts: Gazans own 1.1 million cell phones and .78 million are connected to the internet)
• 1,000,000 Gazans are UN-registered refugees
• 500,000 Gazans live in 8 refugee camps
• 72% (1,112,000) of Gazans are refugees, children or grandchildren of refugees from the 1948 Al Nakba (The Catastrophe)
• The average age in Gaza is 17.6 years old
• Over 70% of Gazans are under the age of 21
• 92% of Gazans can read and write at least one language (the three primary languages in Gaza are Arabic, Hebrew, and English)
• 99.3% of Gazans are Sunni Muslim; .7% (10,400) are Christians

Living Conditions

• 34% of Gazans are unemployed; 53% are under-employed
• $2,500 per capita income
• 80% of Gazans fall under the poverty level ($1.25 per day)
• Israel’s military has occupied Gaza since 1967
• Water access is controlled by Israel
• Water treatment and power plant facilities were destroyed during Israel’s Operation Cast Lead during 12/08-1/09
• Imports and exports are controlled by Israel