Last update - 00:00 30/08/2007
UN: Palestinians growing more dependent on Israeli imports
By The Associated Press
Palestinians are becoming more dependent on imports - particularly from Israel - while the value of the goods they export is declining, according to a United Nations study released Thursday.
Palestinians imported $2 billion worth of goods from Israel last year, equivalent to almost half of their gross domestic product (GDP), the UN Conference on Trade and Development said in its annual report on the Palestinian territories.
Overall, imports rose to $3.63 billion in 2006 compared to $3.35 billion the year before, UNCTAD said.
At the same time, GDP in the Palestinian territories decreased by 6.6 percent to $4.15 billion and its exports dropped by 12.6 percent last year to $581 million, the 20-page report said.
The UN body said Palestinians were becoming increasingly isolated as a direct result of Israeli closure policies imposed since the militant group Hamas won legislative elections in early 2006.
Unemployment in the Palestinian territories remained stable last year at just under 30 percent, the report said.