Israel ruins Palestinian economy, UN says

September 7th, 2016

Awake Goy

The UN Conference on Trade and Development estimates the Palestinian economy could be twice as large as it is now if it were freed from Israeli control.

In its latest report issued Tuesday, the United Nation Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) marked the first time the conference has tried to count “the staggering economic cost of the Israeli occupation.”

The report cited limits on movement, destruction of assets, expansion of illegal Israeli settlements and confiscation of land, water and natural resources among the “channels through which occupation deprives the Palestinian people of their human right to development.”

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It noted that recovery has been weak from a 2014 recession that UNCTAD attributed largely to the impact of Israeli military operations in Gaza.

The economy of the territories grew 3.5 per cent last year after shrinking 0.2 per cent in 2014, when it was hard-hit by the devastating Israeli offensive on Gaza.

Per capita income remains below its pre-2014 level, the report said.

The 2014 Israeli offensive killed more than 2,320 Palestinians and wounded around 11,000 others and caused economic losses close to three times the size of Gaza’s GDP.

With reconstruction hampered by the 10-year-Israeli blockade and by lagging international aid, 91 per cent of damaged houses in Gaza have yet to be rebuilt and 75,000 people remain displaced two years on, UNCTAD states.

The report illustrated the situation in Gaza with the rising infant mortality rate in the Strip, noting that it has risen for the first time in 50 years.

It added that neonatal mortality is also on the rise, increasing from 12 to 20.3 deaths per 1,000 live births between 2008 and 2013.

Source Article from http://www.daysofpalestine.com/news/israel-ruins-palestinian-economy-un-says/