São Paulo – Isolated, restricted, increasingly poor, and unable to generate wealth. These are some of East Jerusalem’s problems as per the survey “Palestinian Economy and East Jerusalem: permanent annexation, isolation and disintegration,” released this Wednesday (8th) by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad). According to study, the city and its surroundings, where 360,000 live, are losing importance within Palestine’s economy, mostly due to the barriers imposed by Israel.
According to the study, poverty among the Palestinians living in Jerusalem has risen from 68% in 2009 to 77% in 2012. Of the Israelis living in Jerusalem as of 2010, 25% were considered poor. As of 2010, 82% of Palestinian and 45% of Israeli children were living in poverty. According to the Unctad survey, East Jerusalem’s contribution to Palestine’s economy dropped from 15%, as of the signing of the 1993 peace treaties, to less than 7% in the past few years.
The survey concludes that the main reason for the worsening of economic and living conditions in East Jerusalem is the barriers imposed by neighbouring country Israel. According to the Unctad, said barriers prevent the region from obtaining investment and undergoing improvements. The report claims that in order to reverse this scenario, Israel must reduce the barriers that prevent East Jerusalem’s development and allow the circulation of people and goods; also, rules must be set forth in order to attract investment.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
