PALESTINIAN SOCIETY - Fafo

particular concems. Then there was the question of which areas
should be included in the survey. Although it would be exacting, both
in scientific and in practic a" tenns, it was decided that the survey
should cover all thre� relevant areas - Gaza, the West Bank and Arab
Jerusalem.
As preparations got under way in 1990-91, I became more and
moreconvinte d thatourprojectcouldcomeupwithmorethanauseful
data set. It could help stimulate an identification of common interests
in the region, perhaps providing a platfonnforfuture concertedefforts
to iinprove living conditions. So I urged, with the consent of both
Palestinian and Israeli leaders, that the survey be strongly policyoriented.
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Mfairs fully concurred with
the aims and general approach that wereemerging, and the then deputy
minister, Knut Vollebæk, together with the Norwegian Agency for
Development Cooperation, NORAD, ensured that we had fmancial
support to start designing the project and implementing a pilot survey.
In NORAD, director Per 0. Grimstad and division chiefElny Bredde
took a keen interest in the project. Following assessments and
adjustments, we were all sette go in 1990. Atthis point we could count
on funding for a full project from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, who would foot most of the bill. Later the projectalso received
generous backing from the Ford Foundation. Most importantly, we
had obtained a high degree of moral and practical support from
Palestinian personalities and institutions as well as the acceptance of
the Israeli.authorities. I could feel confident that we would be given
the assistance needed to bypass the obstacles that were bound to
materialize. Eventually, field work was carried out successfully in
June, July and August 1992.
The outcome was the mostcomprehensive socioeconomic data set
on living conditions in the occupied territories to date. Analytical
work by Palestinian and Norwegian staff in the ensuing months was
carried out with diligence and enthusiasm. This is reflected, in my
opinion, in the present base line report, much to the credit of the
authors.
A few words about the data set. The information gathered is quite
extensive; the set contains somel million data. The present baseline
report provides an overview but does not, and cannot, cover the whole
ground. I am happy to say that there is an abundance of material on
living conditions in. the occupied territories that can be utilized in
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