The blockade on the Beit Ula industrial zone directly threatens the livelihoods of 2,500 workers across manufacturing and surrounding agricultural sectors. Production has been heavily curtailed for facilities manufacturing doors, metal products, electrical cabinets, and construction materials due to severe supply disruptions. Alongside the transit bans, Israeli authorities have demolished four local industrial facilities and established an adjacent settlement outpost. Business owners report catastrophic declines, including a door manufacturer whose daily revenue plummeted from 70,000 shekels to just 2,000 shekels.
Key points
Local manufacturers have seen revenues collapse and staff forced into part-time hours due…: Local manufacturers have seen revenues collapse and staff forced into part-time hours due to import and export restrictions.
Business owners view the movement curbs as collective punishment rather than a valid resp…: Business owners view the movement curbs as collective punishment rather than a valid response to unauthorized border crossings.
The industrial shutdown builds upon earlier military closures in Hebron that generated mi…: The industrial shutdown builds upon earlier military closures in Hebron that generated millions of dollars in daily economic losses.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Israel takes measures to crush Palestinian business in the occupied West Bank.
Beit Ula, occupied West Bank – Fayez al-Amleh, 63, scans his factory in an industrial complex in this town northwest of Hebron and reflects on the recent Israeli measures that could cost him his business.
The production lines at TB.LOC, which produce security and fire-resistant doors, still slowly whir away. But they very nearly came to a halt when Israeli forces sealed the entrances to the Beit Ula industrial zone with earthen berms and stone barriers on November 4.
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The measures have isolated roughly 60 Palestinian businesses from their customers and suppliers, which threatens the livelihoods of 2,500 workers employed in the industrial zone.
“Today, raw materials cannot get in, and we cannot get our products out of the industrial zone,” al-Amleh told Al Jazeera.
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