Palestinian poverty is alarming - report

from The Independent On Line

The plight of Palestinians in the occupied territories has worsened dramatically, with
2.4-million now living in poverty, according to a report published on Monday by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

In a study of territories including the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the Golan Heights, the UN agency said the economic crisis had accelerated with the number of households below the poverty line increasing 26 percent in the year to March 2007.

Seven out of ten Palestinian households were in poverty today; nine out of ten in Gaza and one in two in the West Bank. Only one in three people had a job. Each employed person supported six dependents.

"More persons are in poverty, in deeper poverty and food insecurity than ever before," states the report, blaming this on the "dire" employment situation.

Gross domestic product was 40 per cent lower in 2006 than in 1999. Exports had been in continuous free fall since then too, dropping another nine per cent in 2006.

The report blamed constant border closures and constraints by the Israelis which left the territories isolated and made it too expensive to move goods.

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

The economic crisis had been compounded by falling average income, aggravated by the non payment of full wages to public employees since April 2006. The increase in humanitarian assistance to tackle the growing crisis was creating a dependency economy.

"The Palestinian economy must be revived," concluded the report, which was prepared for the ILO's annual International Labour Conference in Geneva later this week.