Poverty worsen dramatically for Israeli occupied Palestinians and Syrians
Regional-Israel, Politics, 5/28/2007

International Labor Office (ILO) said that the number of households below the poverty line jumped by 26 per cent between March 2006 and March 2007, while per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories was 40 per cent lower in 2006 than in 1999.

In an annual report on the situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories issued Yesterday, the ILO revealed that poverty has continued to worsen dramatically over the past year, as seven out of ten households, comprising some 2.4 million persons, are in poverty.

"Social hardships have deepened and the economic crisis has accelerated since May 2006 as a result of a major contraction in average income. It put the immediate cause as the non-payment of full wages of public employees since April 2006, the decline in public and private investment, and the growing difficulties faced by enterprises in moving their products to domestic and international markets. This mainly to the fact that multiple barriers to and controls on mobility of people and goods have intensified in 2006, the report said.

The report pointed out that there is territorial disintegration, with a tight network of closures, sophisticated controls and the expansion of illegal settlements, adding that "closures are the main cause of the worsening socio-economic situation of Palestinian women and men."

The report said that two out of three persons are without employment, either because they are unemployed or because they are outside the Labor force. Some 206,000 people or 24 per cent of the Labor force were unemployed in December 2006.

"Reducing and removing barriers to the mobility of persons and goods within the territories, between Gaza and the West Bank and with the outside world, while ensuring security in Israel, is foremost among the measures that could avert the mounting economic and social crisis in the occupied territories," the report says.

The report was prepared for the ILO's International Labor Conference which opens its annual session in Geneva on 30 May. The findings of the report are based on missions sent to the occupied Arab territories and Israel and to the Syrian Arab Republic earlier this year to assess the situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories, including the West Bank, Gaza and the Golan.

The report concluded that the economy, enterprises and employment need much more attention on the part of Israel, the Palestinian Authority and international donors, the report says, adding that entrepreneurs and workers need support in order to consolidate enterprises, encourage new investment and diversify economic activity. This could contribute to fostering security and moving closer to a long-term negotiated solution to the conflict, the report says.

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