Israeli restrictions in occupied West Bank cost Palestinians $50bn: UN

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
22 Nov 2022 23:22

In a new report, the United Nations discusses the increased Israeli restrictions in the occupied West Bank, which violates UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.

Palestinian families wait to cross from the West Bank into occupied Al-Quds, for the first Friday prayers in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan at the Al Aqsa mosque, through the Qalandia Israeli occupation checkpoint, west of Ramallah, Friday, April 8, 2022 (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

A new UN report revealed that additional restrictions imposed on Palestinian development in Israeli-controlled parts of the West Bank cost the Palestinian economy around $50 billion between 2000 and 2020.

UNCTAD unmasked that further restrictions placed within the West Bank's so-called Area C, which remains under complete Israeli control, cost $2.5 billion per year.

"Despite several UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions that emphasize the illegality, under international law, of settlements and the acquisition of territory by force, they continue to grow and expand," UNCTAD said.

The report added that Palestinian access to the remaining 30 percent of so-called Area C remains "heavily restricted".

On top of “Israel's” apartheid wall, several restrictions are imposed across the occupied West Bank, including bans on the importation of certain technologies, stringent permit requirements, tight bureaucratic controls, checkpoints, and roadblocks.

Furthermore, the report stated that “Israel” reaps significant benefits from the illegal settlements in Area C and the Eastern part of occupied Al-Quds, estimating that they contribute $41 billion to the Israeli economy each year.

It is worth noting that the occupied West Bank was divided into three administrative sections under the 1993 Oslo Accords, with so-called Area A managed by the Palestinian Authority, so-called Area B under alleged shared sovereignty, and so-called Area C – the largest area, accounting for around 60% of the territory – under complete military Israeli control.

According to the accords, Area C, the only contiguous portion of the occupied West Bank with the most fertile land and valuable natural resources, was meant to be gradually transferred to Palestinian sovereignty, but this has not occurred.

Instead, Area C is now occupied by 400,000 illegal settlers, who control 70% of the area and prohibit Palestinian development.

It is worth noting that the occupied West Bank is suffering from a brutal Israeli offensive, which resulted in over 2,000 arrests in near-daily raids, not to mention the murder of over 130 Palestinians, many of whom were teenagers.