Shocking estimates about poverty rates in occupied Jerusalem (Al Jazeera)

Occupied Jerusalem - 

The war on Gaza that broke out on the seventh of last October exacerbated the suffering of poor families in Jerusalem, and the circle expanded to include new families in light of the damage to the livelihood of many on the one hand, and a number of Jerusalemites were dismissed from their jobs after they were accused of “incitement and supporting Terrorism, on the other hand.

The Jerusalem Center for Economic and Social Rights estimates that about 80% of Jerusalemites live below the poverty line, and sees reasons for this that fall within the framework of Israeli “programs and plans” drawn up over the years to impoverish the people of Jerusalem.

The center's director, Ziad Al-Hammouri, told Al Jazeera Net that the Holy City depends for its economy on the commercial and tourism sectors, which are among the most affected sectors among other economic sectors in the event of security unrest and wars.

Since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, domestic tourism coming from the West Bank governorates to Jerusalem has been decimated, then it was further destroyed after the construction of the separation wall in 2002, while Islamic and Christian religious tourism coming from abroad to Jerusalem faces many obstacles.

According to Al-Hammouri, the Corona pandemic and the current war have greatly destroyed tourism.

The Holy City depends for its economy on the commercial and tourism sectors, which are among the most affected economic sectors (Al Jazeera)

Merchants became poor

“Many Jerusalemite merchants, whether those whose shops are located in the Old City or in the surrounding commercial streets, have become poor due to their inability to sell their goods, pay electricity bills, and pay various taxes,” Al-Hammouri added.

These policies, which were written on paper and turned by the occupation authorities into a fait accompli, constitute factors that expel Jerusalemites, or place the vast majority of them below the poverty line due to the expensive standard of living, the high cost of housing, and the imposition of various types of taxes, in addition to fighting them for their livelihood and demolishing their homes, according to the director of Jerusalem Center.

Regarding whether the efforts made by institutions concerned with poor families in Jerusalem are sufficient, Al-Hammouri said, “Absolutely not, because most of this aid and efforts focus on providing relief to poor families during the month of Ramadan, and these institutions ignore the urgent needs of families for the rest of the months of the year.”

Dismissal without rights

In addition, the occupation authorities imposed restrictions on many institutions working in this field and closed some of them, and this doubled the pressure on the institutions that remained at work in light of the constantly expanding circle of poverty.

Regarding whether the war on Gaza had contributed to classifying more families as poor families, Al-Hammouri confirmed that many Jerusalemites were arbitrarily dismissed from their jobs at the beginning of the war, claiming their solidarity with what is happening in Gaza, or publishing statements on social media sites that were considered “inflammatory.” and supports terrorism.” These people were left without a breadwinner and were punished by depriving them of their entitlements.

“Many Jerusalemites paid heavy prices due to the state of emergency that Israel declared at the beginning of the war, and their punishment with the loss of their families’ livelihood was one of the heaviest of these prices,” Ziad Al-Hammouri continued.

For its part, Al-Quds University is working to research the causes of poverty and analyze its high rates in the city, which exceed poverty rates in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Al-Quds University is trying to find ways to improve the economic situation in Jerusalem, including remote employment for women (Al-Jazeera)

Academic study

The President of Al-Quds University, Imad Abu Kishk, told Al-Jazeera Net that an analysis conducted by the university showed that there is no role for Jerusalemite women at work.

Because society is conservative and does not want to send women to work in the Israeli labor market, especially in hotels and commercial centers.

Hence, he said that the university found that most Jerusalemite families depend on the head of the family or one person to support them, and this is not enough in light of the high cost of living in the city. Therefore, according to its president, Al-Quds University sought to develop the Jerusalemite economy on the one hand, and to preserve the presence of Jerusalemites and not displace them from the city. On the other hand.

He added, "We found ways to improve the economic situation of the Jerusalemite family and stabilize it by opening opportunities for Jerusalemite women, so we agreed with international companies to employ them remotely."

He pointed out that the women of Jerusalem will have an important role in the largest entrepreneurial business incubator established by the university for Jerusalemites on Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi Street, “through which we guarantee that any Jerusalemite studying at our university, or another university inside or outside the country, can go to this incubator to present his pioneering project that We created a fund for him to finance him after his studies.”

Digital data

According to data published by the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics in May 2023, 74% of Palestinians in Jerusalem are dissatisfied with their economic situation, compared to 74% of Jews who live in the city who are satisfied with their situation.

44% of Jerusalem residents reported that they find it difficult to cover their monthly family expenses, including 78% of Palestinians and 23% of Jews.

According to data published on the same occasion - which coincided with the 56th anniversary of the occupation of East Jerusalem - the number of Palestinians there in 2022 reached about 384 thousand out of about one million people living in the city, and they constitute 39.2% of the total population, and the number of Jews reached 595 thousand. They constitute 60.8% of the total population.

Source: Al Jazeera