Since Sept. 2000: Income of 70 percent of Palestinian households drops

Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said Thursday that 69.9% (414,000 households) of the Palestinian households suffered from decreased incomes, as a result of the Israeli restrictions, during Al-Aqsa Intifada. According to the survey, 39.5% (163,000 households) lost more than 50% of their usual income, while 73.5% (286,000 households) of the households saw their incomes decline in the West Bank compared with 63.0% (128,000 households) in Gaza Strip. 

As for the income sources, the main income source of the Palestinian households during 4th Quarter 2003 was from the wages and salaries from private sector (30.4%), followed by wages and salaries from public sector employment (18.5%), and from households projects (10.5%), according to the PCBS survey. 

The results indicated that 60.2% of the households have access problem to health services due to the Israeli closure, 49.0% of households because of cost of medical treatment, 62.4% of households because of military checkpoints and 12.3% of households because of the construction of the so called security wall. 

Regarding the households income, PCBS indicated that the median monthly income has dropped from NIS 2,500 before Alaqsa Intifada (Sept. 2000) to NIS 1,200 during the 4th Quarter of 2003.  

Results of the survey showed that 70.0% of the Palestinian households (414,000 households) reported that they need assistance, of which 68.3% in the West Bank and 73.3% in Gaza Strip. (menareport.com)

© 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)