MAS Syllabus - Gaza Economic Context
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One cannot separate the current aggression on the Gaza strip from other previous aggressions by Israel. Such aggressions act as a tactic to threaten the Palestinian presence in the Gaza Strip by ensuring that the Strip is an uninhabitable area. The historical context of the recurring crises of the Gaza Strip, as a result of said aggressions and the Israeli-imposed 2008 blockade serves as a foundation for framing the current aggression and its potential ramifications for the Gazan population, its vital development sectors, as well as reconstruction possibilities beyond the aggression. To situate this aggression, like past aggression, within the larger context of de-development and attempts to systematically undermine the socioeconomic structures of the Gaza Strip, MAS presents this syllabus that is dedicated to the economic ramifications of the war on the Gaza Strip. This syllabus covers a selection of MAS publications on socioeconomic issues in the Gaza Strip prior to the current war, as well as recent reporting on the current war. This syllabus aims to inform readers about the socioeconomic background of the present challenges confronting the Gaza Strip, such as food security, electricity, and water. It also seeks to frame the current aggression within the context of previous attacks on the Gaza Strip and their overall socioeconomic consequences. |
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Repercussions of the current war |
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Past Reconstruction Efforts |
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While being the most vicious and destructive yet, the current aggression against the Gaza Strip is not the first. Israel has been escalating its economic war against Palestinians in an attempt to derail Palestinian economic growth and development plans. Attacks on the Strip have been continuous for the past two decades, resulting in massive destruction that impedes reconstruction as well as development during the post-aggression phase. During previous attacks on the Strip, MAS held a series of roundtables on the possibilities, challenges, and opportunities of reconstruction. These provide an opportunity to revisit the concept of reconstruction and its prospects in light of recurrent attacks on development infrastructures.
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Socioeconomic Conditions & Services |
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The impact of the present aggression on the Gaza Strip is not limited to the immediate socioeconomic effects, as the repeated attacks, along with the Israeli-imposed blockade on the Strip in 2008, have produced a protracted series of repercussions in various areas of life. While socioeconomic and service infrastructures are currently being targeted, particularly in the water and electricity sectors, understanding both the current and projected economic, social, and service effects on the Gaza Strip requires situating them within the larger context of the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2008, as well as the impact of previous attacks on the Gaza Strip.
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Labor Market |
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It has been a long-term goal of Israel to undermine the Palestinian economy, and this is most evident in Gaza. The 2008 blockade prevented any possibility of the Strip’s economic dependence from the Israeli economy. Previous aggressions and the 15-year blockade have produced high rates of poverty, unemployment, and a paralyzed economy unable to emancipate from the Israeli economy. Today, the economy of the Gaza Strip has been “decommissioned”, and Israel’s effective goal of economic and social annihilation is now within reach. Herein lies the necessity to understand current and past restrictions and socioeconomic repercussions in order to forecast post-war effects on the labor market.
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MAS, in cooperation with the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), the Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA), and the Palestine Capital Market Authority (PCMA), also issues the Quarterly Economic Monitor. The Monitor includes all the basic pre-war economic indicators: |
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Additional Useful Resources: |
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