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War between Hamas and Israel: a suffocated economy in the West Bank
War between Hamas and Israel: a suffocated economy in the West Bank – (franceinfo)
The war in the Middle East has lasted 109 days and is dealing a heavy blow to the region’s economy. Many Palestinians who worked on construction sites in Israel no longer have jobs.
Ramallah, capital of the West Bank, at midday prayer time. Béchir Cheikh is about to sign his first contract in several months. He must insulate a tower. Usually, he works in Israel, like 160,000 other Palestinians, but since October 7, he has no longer been able to access it. To feed their five children, his wife sold her jewelry, but it was not enough. “Here, unemployment is 90%. Nobody works, those who work in Israel are all at home. How do I pay for my electricity? (…) Nobody pays attention to us, nor the Ministry of Labor , nor the union, no one”deplores Béchir Cheikh.
Half of the projects stopped
In Israel, the salary of construction workers is 2,400 euros. The money from the workers who passed through every day is essential to supporting the local economy and the Palestinian Authority’s budget. In Israel, almost half of the projects are at a standstill. The Jewish state’s construction industry is worth tens of billions of euros, it is the country’s second largest economic sector after high technology.
