The number of food insecure people could increase from 1.3 million to 1.9 million by the end of 2012 according to the recent WFP/FAO/UNRWA Food Security Watch (September 2012). Based on simulations – using the most recent Socio-economic and Food Security Survey (SEFSec, October/November 2011) as a basis and assuming stable income levels – the number of food insecure households has risen from 27 to 34 per cent in August 2012 due primarily to increasing consumer prices. If price increases continue at the same rate, 41 per cent of Palestinians will be food insecure by the end of 2012. Beside the impacts of high food and fuel prices, internal movement restrictions remain a concern. According to an OCHA report released in September 2012, a series of easing measures improved the connectivity between many rural settlements and nearest cities; however the access to large rural areas, including those located behind the Barrier, in the Jordan Valley, and in the vicinity of Israeli settlements remain severely restricted. The results of the next SEFSec are expected to be released in early 2013.
October 2012