Palestinians fear Israel's economic chokehold won't end — with or without a ceasefire

Whether or not Israeli and Hamas negotiators eventually agree on a ceasefire in the days to come, many Palestinians fear that the crippling economic measures Israel is imposing on the occupied West Bank will lead to increasing hardship and the risk of more violence.Mousa Zaita was one of more than 100,000 Palestinians with a work permit allowing them to hold jobs in Israel. After Oct.

"With the war, they have closed the West Bank," said Samir Hulileh, an economist and prominent Palestinian businessman in Ramallah.Ramallah economist and businessman Samir Hulileh says he fears the economic restrictions Israel imposed on the West Bank after Oct. 7 will remain, even if there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

While the United States, Canada and other Western nations have indicated a "two-state solution" is the only viable, sustainable proposition, Netanyahu has ruled that out.have long feared Israel is laying the groundwork to annex Palestinian territories and further repopulate the area with Israeli settlements.Palestinians in the occupied West Bank are struggling to make ends meet because Israel has blocked funds from entering and revoked work permits for people with jobs in Israel.

The single hardest economic hit faced by the West Bank has been the cancellation of roughly 100,000 work permits for Palestinians. Mousa told CBC News that he earned the equivalent of $2,000 Cdn a month on a building site, three times the going rate in the West Bank."We are in extreme conditions," she said. "We have to pay the electricity bill, we have to pay a water bill. The kids are always demanding a biscuit from here and a sandwich from there. It's extremely difficult.

Ramallah mechanic Hisham Jaber says many people still need their cars repaired but can't afford to pay. "Last month, our tax revenue was around 1 billion Shekels , of which Israel deducted, illegally, 600 million Shekels, and this has affected our ability to pay full salaries to our civil servants," Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh told CBC News in an interview.

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh arrives at the Élysée Palace in Paris on Nov. 9, 2023. Officials from Western and Arab nations, the United Nations and non-governmental organizations gathered for a conference on how to provide aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip.

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