“SHAMS” Center condemns in the strongest terms “Israel” the occupying Power’s continuation of Pirating the clearing funds and the money of the Palestinian people, which seriously threatened the Palestinian fragile economic system as a whole, thereby making the recent period of time the worst in terms of economic and financial regards, whether in the West Bank or in the Gaza Strip. It was reflected negatively on the lives of thousands of families due to the continuous salary crisis. Recent months have witnessed a dramatic rise in the rates and levels of unemployment, poverty and extreme poverty, which has clearly damaged the purchasing power of Palestinian citizens, with the number of unemployed in Palestine totaled more than 351 thousand people, including 219 thousand in the Gaza Strip according to the latest statistics. This came through a press release issued by the Center on the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, endorsed by the United Nations under resolution No. 47/196 on 22/1/1992.
“SHAMS” Center underlines that poverty represents a substantial violation of all other fundamental human rights in terms of the right to housing, health, education, mobility, decent living, or else. The serious repercussions of marginalization and discrimination resulting from poverty are strategically considered, as well as its threatening effects on community safety, social cohesion and a general sense of citizenship and belonging. Hence, the center reminds the Palestinian government of its obligation to eliminate Poverty through adopting general strategies that are realistic, clear and measurable according to a precise time frame, driven by a general approach based on the liberation of the Palestinian economy from the dependency on the Israeli economy. By taking cumulative and realistic measures starting with the elimination of all economic agreements signed with the occupation to be taken as continuous actions and not as reactions.
“SHAMS” Center calls upon the Government and educational institutions to significantly bridge the gap between university education and the requirements of the labor market, to provide decent work opportunities, and coordinate across the sectors to eliminate the increasing phenomenon of poverty. In addition to provide social protection and decent living conditions for the poor and marginalized families, in parallel to a policy of disclosure of information in relation to the public budget.
“SHAMS” Center reminds the official anti-corruption bodies that efforts of combating corruption should be strengthened and the looted money of the Palestinian people should be recovered. These efforts are given a double importance under the Palestinian private context and the economic vulnerability. Thereby protecting the public money and bringing the corrupt to the corridors of the Palestinian judiciary.
“SHAMS” Center stresses that the suffering of children who are more likely to live in poverty and extreme poverty conditions than adults, especially in the areas of conflict of which Palestine is a part, will expose them to various kinds of hazards, starting from the denial of education and exploitation in crime, drugs, the physical, verbal and sexual violence besides, increase the chances of early marriage for girls and opportunities for child labor. SHAMS center calls on official, civil or private actors, to work together so as to build a better Palestinian society free of poverty and ensure the respect for the human dignity of all its sons and daughters.
“END”