Dear Friends and Supporters,
 
One of the most serious effects of the occupation is the creation of an extremely dire economic situation within the West Bank and Gaza.   In Gaza, Israel has cut off fuel supplies and frequently blocked shipments of humanitarian relief goods from the UN, EU, and USAID.  As a result, patients have died in hospitals without the necessary medication, and people have been forced to ration their food and fuel consumption.  
 
In order for Palestinians to undertake development projects to benefit themselves permits must usually be obtained from Israel.   In the West Bank for example, Palestinians normally need permits to dig a well, fix a road, or build an office building.  With unemployment in the Jenin area hovering around 70%, many people do whatever is necessary to find money for necessities and also to pay for higher education.   With no other options, many (even those with university degrees) have turned to illegally entering Israel to find jobs as construction workers or general laborers.
 
A few days ago I was shown a video taken by one of the workers of the living conditions Palestinians face in Israel.   Because Palestinians cannot buy homes in Israel, and because it is too dangerous in most cases for sympathetic Israelis to house them, Palestinians sleep outside in the hills and mountains near their work sites.   The temperature at night is around 40-45 degrees Fahrenheit and workers use only a plastic sheet to cover them in the hopes that if a soldier sees a piece of plastic he is more likely to pass by thinking it's simply a piece of trash on the ground.   During the video, one 19 year old was shown shivering in the early morning.  Even if offered sleeping bags and tents, workers are thankful but turn them down, saying that having these objects will only make their capture more likely.
 
During the day, the Palestinians work on construction sites normally run by Arab-Israelis.  Working from 7am to 6 or even 10pm workers earn under 10 shekels ( USD2.50) per hour a fraction of what an Israeli doing the same job will earn.  Still, with a good wage in the West Bank being USD400/month for about 55 hours a week, the amount of money that can be made in Israel is relatively large.   Working 11 hours a day and seven days a week, a worker can hope to make around USD750 per month.
 
Of course, working illegally in Israel does not come without its risks.  To enter, Palestinians hire Arab Israeli drivers, put 25 people in large vans and drive quickly through holes in the wall (the barrier Israel is constructing to take more Palestinian land).   A few days ago one of these overloaded vans crashed near Jerusalem, killing four of its occupants.  Once inside Israel, Palestinians face a constant threat of being caught.   The Israeli government has a special force, the Belash, whose sole responsibility is to search for and arrest illegal workers.   Every night this force combs the hills and areas around Arab-Israeli cities looking for workers who sleep in the mountains under olive trees.  If a worker is injured going to the hospital is out of the question as hospitals will call the police and the worker will be jailed.
 
Take the case of Loai, a 22-year-old university student attending An-Najah University in Nablus.  Each summer, Loai  goes to Israel in the hopes of earning enough money to pay his tuition the next year.   Loai was injured when he fell through a ceiling in a building he was working on.  Injuring his hand and arm (an injury that sill affects him today), Loai was unable to go to the hospital until the next morning when he returned to the West Bank.   For the whole night he sat outside while his friends attempted to stop the bleeding and dig shards of glass and chunks of concrete out of his arm.  When I spoke to Loai last year he said that whenever he thought about going back to Israel he imagined even worse things happening (if caught a second time workers can sometimes spend up to a year in jail) but said that if he had no chance to work in the West Bank he might end up returning.   Next week, Loai will return to work in the Nazareth area.  He has been home for about two weeks since his last job in Israel, visiting his family and friends for the Eid season.
 
Workers have been beaten by police, shot in the leg, jailed for years, paralyzed, and otherwise injured.  With no way for Palestinians to create jobs in Palestine more and more young people will be forced to go to work in Israel to continue their educations, or help their families put food on the table.
 
On a hopeful note, organizations like the PFTA (Palestine Fair Trade Association) provide ways for Palestinians to participate in their own economic development and simultaneously resist the occupation.   By farming old trees and planting new ones, the PFTA is able to both establish "facts on the ground" instantiating land ownership by Palestinians and reduce the dependence of the Palestinian population on the Israeli economy.
 
Thanks for reading and stay warm.
 
Salaam
Andrew Pappone

Note: Though usually sent on Monday this issue was sent on Sunday, January 6 as Monday this week is a national holiday in Palestine (Eastern Orthodox Christmas).  The next scheduled issue will be sent on Monday, January 14 though there may be another update before then.
 
The House of Fair Trade Newsletter is a weekly email newsletter sent from the offices of the Palestine Fair Trade Association in Jenin, Palestine with stories and experiences from the ground in Palestine.  You are receiving this email because you or someone you know asked me to put you on the list.  If you do not wish to receive these updates, please let me know.
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For past issues please contact me or visit auphr.org.

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