After a recent Israeli high court decision allowed Israeli companies to maintain quarrying and mining activities in the occupied West Bank, human rights activists say the decision has opened the door to Israel’s pillaging of other Palestinian resources. Read more about Court gives Israel "licence to pillage" West Bank, say rights groups
It is a craft that has been passed down from one generation to the next. The al-Mathloums were one of the best-known bamboo furniture-making families in Gaza but now, of his brothers, only Zakariya, the eldest son, is struggling to keep the tradition and the business alive. Read more about Bamboo furniture-making tradition, brought from Jaffa, survives in Gaza
West Bank trade remains largely isolated from global markets due to restrictions imposed on the movement of goods, according to a July 2011 study by the UN Conference on Trade and Development. Read more about Israel chokes Palestinian trade, says UN study
Throughout Gaza, children take on responsibilities of adults to help their families, and adults revert from skilled labor to doing nearly anything to bring in a salary. Read more about Odd jobs help Gaza families scrape by
Palestinian women in Hebron have formed a traditional handicrafts cooperative to preserve cultural heritage and provide stable income for dozens of families hit hard by the economic effects of Israel’s occupation. Read more about Preserving Palestinian heritage one stitch at a time
Despite Israel’s declared “easing” in June 2010 of the total siege on Gaza, manufacturers there are hurting badly. In June 2011 the World Food Programme (WFP) reported that “only 5 percent of the pre-blockade export volume was reached from November 2010 to April 2011.” Read more about Export bans - the other half of Israel's siege