World Bank praises Palestinian easing of COVID rules, criticizes Israeli control
The international financial body recommended several governance reforms for the Palestinian Authority to increase economic growth.
The World Bank presented a report on the Palestinian economy today to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee in Brussels. The biannual committee coordinates aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA). The following is a breakdown of some highlights of the report:
COVID-19: The Palestinian economy grew 7.1% in 2021, which The World Bank attributed to coronavirus-related restrictions being “significantly eased.” The pandemic response pushed more than 110,000 Palestinian into poverty, according to the report.
The Palestinian economy was also helped by the number of West Bank Palestinians working in Israel increasing to 153,000 at the end of 2021 from 125,000 in 2020.
Poverty in the West Bank and Gaza decreased slightly to 27.3% in 2021, but unemployment went up by nearly 1% to 24.2% at the end of the year.
