Qalqiliya village in 'dire economic' straights

Ma'an
The northern West Bank village of Azzun Atma, eastern Qalqiliya is reported to have the highest rate of unemployment in the West Bank, according to a report by the General Union of Palestinian Workers (GUPW) in the Qalqiliya district.

Azzun Atma has a population of 10,000 with an unemployment rate that exceeds 70%. ...more than 180 unemployed workers from the village have opted into the Food for Work program, funded by the UNDP and CHF, in turn under the supervision of the Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture. However, the program was discontinued two years ago in Qalqiliya for unknown reasons.

...180 families used to get the basic food supplies from the FFW program in return for hiring one member of the family, yet after the program was discontinued, all these families remained without a source of income. He pointed out that the majority of Azzun Atma workers couldn’t obtain work permits in Israel. The reply to their applications was that they couldn’t be granted permits for “security reasons.” Only 100 workers can obtain such permits, he said.

“The farmers’ market in the village has closed due to the dire economic situation and the continuous closures of the village’s main entrances by Israeli forces,” ...

Acting mayor of Azzun Atma Iyad Khalaf described the economic situation as “disastrous.”...

The acting mayor also explained that many villagers couldn’t pay their utility bills to the municipal council, which in turn negatively impacted the services offered by the council. He asserted that an increase in poverty rates will necessarily lead to increase in violence and instability. Full story