Poverty at 78% in Arab East Jerusalem

A new report reveals that 78 percent of Palestinians in Jerusalem - and 84 percent of Palestinian children - live under the poverty line.

According to the report by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the 360,000 Palestinian residents of the city - 38 percent of Jerusalem’s total population - have reached the highest poverty rate ever in 2011. By comparison, in 2006, 64 percent of the Palestinian population and 73 percent of the children lived under the poverty line.

The report, titled “Policies of Neglect in East Jerusalem” points out “limited employment opportunities, a severely depleted educational system, and a systematic lack of physical and economic infrastructure.”

The main reason for the poverty, according to the report is the high unemployment rates - 40 percent of the men are unemployed as are 85 percent of the women.

The report also cites neglect by the Israeli authorities, noting that there is only one industrial area in East Jerusalem, in Wadi Joz, and it too may be closed to due to the expected expansion of the road leading to the Western Wall.

For more, go to Haaretz.com