PBA : 90 Percent of Gaza Economic Activities Will Stop

Gaza, MINA – The Palestinian Businessmen Association (PBA) has warned that 90 percent of the economic activities in the besieged Gaza Strip will grind to a halt completely as a result of the financial and humanitarian shocks that have afflicted the population, especially after the US administration stopped funding UNRWA.

Head of the association Ali al-Hayek stated on Monday that thousands of Palestinian citizens in Gaza are threatened with unemployment during the current year as a result of the escalating blockade and the financial crisis that hit UNRWA, Palinfo reported.

Hayek affirmed that the unemployment rate among the refugees in Gaza would reach 65 percent by the end of 2018 if there was no clear funding program ending UNRWA’s financial crisis.

Earlier, the Washington Post reported on Friday that the administration of US President Donald Trump had completely canceled the funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as part of its plan to place its funds in areas that serve its policies.

The newspaper quoted an official familiar with the decision, which will be issued in the coming weeks, claiming that it was taken to express rejection of the way UNRWA spends its money.

The official said: “The United States will call for a reduction in the recognition of the number of Palestinian refugees estimated at five million to only 1/10 of that number, and any such reduction would effectively cancel the right of return for most Palestinians. (R/R04/RS5)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)