More than 25% of Palestinians unemployed in 2014

ANKARA

Unemployment among Palestinians was higher than 25 percent in 2014, a report released by International Labor Organization (ILO) Thursday has indicated.

The ILO annual report called “The situation of workers of the occupied Arab territories” concluded that more than quarter of Palestinians suffered from unemployment because of the deterioration of the Palestinian economy and labor market in the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

The Palestinian economy has been negatively affected by violence, occupation and the continuous expansion of Israeli settlements, according to ILO.

“A stalled peace process, high tensions and the effects of last year’s war in Gaza have led to further economic and labour market decline with serious consequences for the Palestinian economy,” ILO said. 

On July 7, 2014 Israel had started a military operation in the Gaza Strip with the stated aim of halting rocket fire from the Palestinian territory.

 The report says that the rate of unemployment among young males was 40 percent and among women 63 percent. 

 Additionally,  80 percent of Gaza’s population depends on humanitarian aid.

“The combined weight of the continued occupation and the settlements does not permit the development of a viable, productive Palestinian economy, which could provide sufficient opportunities in terms of decent work. If current trends continue, the scope for such opportunities will shrink further,” Guy Ryder, ILO director general, said.

There are 52,000 Palestinians are legally working in Israel as well as 26,000 in the settlements, according to the report.

“Serious and possibly devastating effect on the action to achieve improvements in the employment and livelihoods of Palestinian women and men.” Ryder said. “The ultimate logic of the institutions and laws that have been, and are being, developed is that they would serve as the infrastructure of a sovereign state.”