US plan for Gaza comes as West Bank economy worsens
US President Donald Trump’s plan for Palestinian statehood comes as the material reality faced by Palestinians in the region is becoming increasingly dire, Al-Monitor via Reuters reported on September 30th.
Rami Harfoosh, has been unable to afford a replacement for his 13-year-old son’s hearing aid since he lost his $1,700 monthly paycheck from working in Israel. “We think twice before spending one shekel,” he said.
Growing Israeli settlements have fragmented transport routes used for business, which prevents Palestinians from transporting essential goods in a timely manner.
It was announced on September 3rd that Israel aimed to annex 82% of the West Bank, which would make the possibility of a Palestinian state unviable due to only six isolated Palestinian enclaves being left outside of Israeli control.
On September 24th, Israel shut the Allenby Bridge crossing, a key trade route; the closure left more than two million Palestinians stranded.
Settlers have also targeted water supplies, reportedly with the aim of displacing Palestinians by cutting off access to clean water.
Increasing checkpoints and military posts have displaced Palestinians from their land, making it harder to sustain any form of work.
After the October 7th, 2023, attacks, Israel revoked the work permits of 150,000 Palestinians who previously worked inside Israel; only 8000 permits are believed to have been reinstated.
Unemployment rates in the Occupied West Bank have increased to 35% since October 2023, while poverty now affects close to 30% of inhabitants.
Israel also froze a portion of revenue owed to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which meant that civil servants were unable to claim their salaries.
“Persistent fiscal strains have drastically eroded the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) revenue base, placing extreme constraints on the financing of basic services,” said a World Bank report.
“If sustained, these dynamics have the potential to precipitate fiscal collapse,” the report said.
Al-Monitor via Reuters, Maghrebi.org
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