Jerusalem

 

The situation in the Palestinian territories continues to be particularly fragile, from a social, political and economic point of view, due to Israeli restrictions, the territorial discontinuity between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and the occupation of Area C ( 61% of the territory) and Israeli control over East Jerusalem.

The Palestinian economy grew by 2% in 2017, too limited a growth to improve the population’s living standards and the supply of the labor market. The number of unemployed has reached 28%, while only 22% of women are included in the job market. The situation is even more serious in Gaza where the unemployment rate reaches 46.6%, 61% among young people. The consequences of the 2014 war are still visible, having left 70% of the population dependent on humanitarian aid; among these there are 55,100 refugees in need of housing adaptation and 2,500 families who are still displaced.

In 2012, Resolution no. was adopted. 67/19 of the United Nations General Assembly, which recognizes Palestine as permanent observer. Since 2014, Palestine has joined over 50 conventions on humanitarian law, human rights and international organizations (http://www.mofa.pna.ps/ar/archives/13674).

Due to the political crisis following the success of Hamas in the 2006 political elections, the work of the Palestinian parliament was suspended the following year and remains so today. The reunification process sanctioned by the signature in Cairo in October 2017, with the aim of creating a single executive responsible for the West Bank and Gaza, seems blocked for the moment. Italy continues to support international action aimed at achieving a peaceful and lasting solution to the conflict, according to the “Two States” formula, and at the consolidation of an independent, democratic and economically sustainable Palestinian state. During 2017, 96 Palestinians (20 of them children) and 17 Israelis were killed as a result of the ongoing conflict.

After the announcement of the move of the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in December 2017, protests followed in all territories and especially along the borders between Israel and the Gaza Strip, which are still ongoing.

•  IMF, West Bank and Gaza, report to the Ad Hoc Liason Committee, March 9, 2018

•  UNRWA, Emergency Appeal 2018, occupied Palestinian territories, 2018