Palestinian Labor Minister Enas al-Attari says Israeli restrictions on the Palestinian economy have pushed unemployment to around half a million people, as officials seek to hold Israel accountable internationally for ongoing violations.<\/p>\n
In an interview with Anadolu in Ramallah marking International Workers\u2019 Day on May 1, al-Atari said Palestinian workers are facing \u201cunprecedented conditions,\u201d driven by a combination of direct field-level restrictions and mounting economic pressure.<\/p>\n
She described the environment as among \u201cthe most fragile in the region,\u201d noting that Israeli military checkpoints across the West Bank do more than restrict movement \u2014 they \u201creshape the Palestinian economic geography.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese checkpoints isolate cities and towns, disrupt the movement of workers and goods, and directly affect productivity and job opportunities,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Palestinian worker today is not only facing unemployment, but an entire system of restrictions that begins at the checkpoint and does not end with the loss of income.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that these policies fall under a \u201cpolitical and economic siege\u201d affecting various sectors. <\/p>\n
Economy under pressure<\/p>\n
Al-Attari said Israel\u2019s continued withholding of clearance revenues remains one of the most significant pressure tools on the Palestinian economy.<\/p>\n
These revenues are taxes collected on goods imported into Palestinian areas, either through Israel or border crossings under Israeli control, and transferred to the Palestinian Authority.<\/p>\n
Since 2019, Israel has deducted billions of dollars from these funds under various pretexts, contributing to a chronic financial crisis that has affected the Palestinian government\u2019s ability to pay salaries and meet obligations to the private sector.<\/p>\n
The minister said these funds represent the main source of Palestinian government revenue, used to cover wages and essential expenditures.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithholding or delaying these funds affects not only the government, but extends to the private sector and labor market, reducing liquidity, halting projects and leading to layoffs,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She stressed that the Palestinian economy \u201cdoes not operate under normal conditions,\u201d but under complex political and financial constraints that limit growth and job creation. <\/p>\n
Labor market shock<\/p>\n
In one of the clearest indicators of the crisis, al-Attari said the Palestinian labor market has experienced a severe shock since October 2023, when about 200,000 workers employed in Israel suddenly lost their jobs.<\/p>\n
They joined more than 300,000 people already unemployed in the domestic market, bringing the total number of unemployed to around half a million, she explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are facing an unprecedented figure relative to the size of the Palestinian economy,\u201d she said. \u201cThis creates enormous pressure on the government, society, and the social protection system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Al-Attari added that the sudden loss of such a large number of jobs in a short period created a \u201cstructural imbalance\u201d in the labor market that is difficult to address without large-scale interventions.<\/p>\n
In October 2023, Israel launched a genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and destroyed about 90% of the enclave\u2019s infrastructure, with reconstruction costs estimated by the United Nations at around $70 billion.<\/p>\n
At the same time, the Israeli army and Israeli occupiers escalated attacks in the West Bank, including killings, arrests, destruction of homes and facilities, forced displacement of Palestinians and expansion of settlements on occupied land. <\/p>\n
Government initiatives<\/p>\n
Despite limited resources, the Labor Ministry has launched several initiatives to mitigate the impact of the crisis.<\/p>\n
Among them is the \u201cBader\u201d program, which offers interest-free loans of up to 60,000 shekels (about $20,000), with a six-month grace period and repayment over four years, to finance small projects for unemployed workers.<\/p>\n
Al-Attari said the first phase supported 767 projects, with a second phase recently launched to expand beneficiaries.<\/p>\n
Other measures include free health insurance, educational exemptions for workers\u2019 children, temporary employment programs, and support for cooperatives.<\/p>\n
However, she stressed that \u201cthese initiatives, despite their importance, cannot resolve a crisis of this scale,\u201d because \u201cthe root of the problem is political, linked to the (Israeli) occupation and its policies.\u201d <\/p>\n
Field violations<\/p>\n
The minister also pointed to incidents involving arrests and injuries of Palestinian workers attempting to reach their workplaces, particularly inside Israel. She described such practices as \u201ca blatant violation of labor rights and freedom of movement,\u201d adding that the ministry is pursuing these cases through multiple channels.<\/p>\n
The ministry is coordinating with human rights organizations and lawyers, while also raising the issue internationally, she added.<\/p>\n
As an observer member of the International Labour Organization, Palestine is seeking to activate the body\u2019s role in holding Israel accountable, she said. <\/p>\n
Digital shift<\/p>\n
As part of efforts to find sustainable solutions, al-Attari highlighted the launch of the Job Match platform, designed to connect job seekers directly with employers.<\/p>\n
Launched in December 2025, the platform includes around 590,000 registered job seekers and 42,000 businesses, forming a broad database for the Palestinian labor market.<\/p>\n
It uses artificial intelligence to match candidates with available jobs, enabling more precise alignment between skills and employer needs.<\/p>\n
She said the platform also serves as a policy tool by providing data on labor market needs and skill gaps, helping guide education and training strategies.<\/p>\n
On the international front, al-Attari said the platform includes cooperation with countries such as Qatar, T\u00fcrkiye and Jordan to bring in external employers and create additional job opportunities.<\/p>\n
She noted a particular focus on remote work, especially in Gaza, as a way to overcome movement restrictions. \u201cThe goal is not to encourage migration, but to create opportunities while retaining talent within the Palestinian market,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n
Vocational training<\/p>\n
Al-Attari also highlighted vocational training programs, noting that dozens of centers offer 74 training programs, more than half of which have been digitized.<\/p>\n
Employment rates among graduates range between 70% and 80%, while others go on to start their own businesses.<\/p>\n
She said on-the-job training programs also help integrate young people into the labor market through partial wage support.<\/p>\n
Marking International Workers\u2019 Day, al-Attari paid tribute to Palestinian workers, describing them as \u201ca symbol of national resilience,\u201d and reaffirmed that the government places them at the top of its priorities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Palestinian people are our most important investment,\u201d she said, pledging continued efforts to support their resilience under current conditions. <\/p>\n
*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Palestinian Labor Minister Enas al-Attari says Israeli restrictions on the Palestinian economy have pushed unemployment to around half…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":419954,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[85,46,43,180804],"class_list":["post-419953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-news","tag-sitekeywords"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=419953"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419953\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/419954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=419953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=419953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=419953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}