Business & Economy

Severe pollution and Israel’s frequent attacks on fishing vessels have made it healthier for Gazans to eat farmed fish rather than fish caught at sea.

The five-story building housing the now abandoned Hamdanco sewing factory is filled with machines gathering dust; it used to be the place of employment of 130 workers, including sewers and administrative staff.

Few visitors make it to the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, causing the city’s tourism sector to suffer.

The Electronic Intifada contributor Ray Smith interviews Raja Khalidi, a senior economist with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, about the PA’s economic policies and its implications for statehood.

The Palestinian Authority is preparing to establish a state in the near future. But the Palestinian economy remains strongly tied to Israel, and manufacturers are struggling to recover from the second Palestinian intifada.

GAZA CITY, occupied Gaza Strip (IPS) - Palestinians are calling for boycotts against Israeli products and companies. But in the Gaza Strip — at the heart of the Israeli occupation — it is often impossible for residents to follow their own call to action.

The Danish-British security firm G4S recently confirmed in a letter its involvement in the Israeli occupation and violations of international law — reported on last month by The Electronic Intifada. Adri Nieuwhof reports.

Bashar Masri, the Palestinian businessman and CEO of the company that is developing the Rawabi luxury real estate project in the occupied West Bank, appears to be actively helping Israel deepen its hold on the Palestinian economy despite his earlier claims that he is trying to help end this relationship. Ali Abunimah reports.

On a recent afternoon, farmers bearing cartons of strawberries lined up in front of the office of a local agricultural organization in the northern Gaza Strip. “This is a moment that fills me with hope,” said Ibrahim al-Musallami, 58, one of the farmers.

BRUSSELS (IPS) - Arms traders are seeking to convince the European Union that publicly-funded scientific research grants should help develop weapons for future wars. In a series of secret discussions, Brussels officials and representatives of the arms industry are examining if the EU’s multi-billion euro “framework program” for research can be used for projects of a military nature.