Search

Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with around 2.1 million individuals living in a total area of 365 square kilometers. For nearly 15 years, the movement of people and goods into and out of Gaza has been under restrictions imposed by the Government of Israel (GoI) due to security concerns.

This report examines the fiscal crisis facing the Palestinian Authority (PA) that could threaten its very existence. It looks at recent macroeconomic and fiscal developments and gives and analysis of key issues and challenges such as economic and fiscal trends. The report also goes in depth analysis of the public financial management issues, the challenges of civil service reform, reforming intergovernmental fiscal relations, the education sector, and social policy and social ...

Gaza typically imports 120 Megawatts (MW) of power from Israel and 20MW from Egypt, while generating 60MW domestically at the Gaza Power Plant (GPP). Together, this supply is only enough to meet half of Gaza’s power demand, resulting in the rationing of electricity in which eight hours of power supply is followed by eight hours of power cuts.

With a high unemployment rate in Gaza (53.7 percent), and every second person in Gaza living below the poverty line, residents of the Gaza Strip also face greater technical, environmental, social, institutional and financial challenges, due in large part to restricted access to goods and services.

Conflict in Gaza has made a bad situation even worse; preventing the management of a vital natural resource that has led to an environmental disaster. Policies to soften some of the impacts of the drought in Syria could have kept people on their land and kept them from falling into poverty.

The Palestinian authority recognizes the challenges that West Bank and Gaza faces in terms of environment and natural resources and has put in places various strategies and programs to address them. While these sectoral and national strategies and plans are important, they require full implementation and follow-up to ensure better environmental outcomes.