GENEVA - Ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state are essential for regional development and stability, Jordan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Akram Al-Harahsheh, said.

Speaking at a briefing on the economic damages in the occupied Palestinian territories, Al-Harahsheh stressed that sustainable recovery cannot be achieved through temporary humanitarian measures but requires addressing the root causes of the conflict and prioritizing peace through ending the occupation and implementing the two-state solution.

Al-Harahsheh highlighted the latest UNCTAD report, which assesses the cumulative economic cost of the occupation to the Palestinian people between 2000 and 2024. The report reveals dire economic indicators, including the devastation of Gaza's economy, which has regressed to levels below 2006, and a significant decline in the West Bank's economy.

The ambassador pointed out that in 2024, the value of the settlement economy reached $53 billion, approximately five times the Palestinian output. The economic value extracted from Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and Area C amounted to $1 trillion, while Israel seized $2.2 billion in customs revenues over six years, equivalent to 20% of the Palestinian output in 2024.

Al-Harahsheh emphasized that these figures underscore the high cost of the absence of peace, the deterioration of living standards, the impact of the conflict, and the fact that the entire population of Gaza lives below the poverty line. He also highlighted the economic consequences of the non-establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

The cumulative losses in the West Bank during the study period amounted to $170.8 billion, equivalent to 17 times the output in 2024, while Gaza's losses over the past eighteen years exceeded $41 billion, equivalent to 20 times the output in 2023, Al-Harahsheh noted.

The ambassador further explained that the report compares the economic situation, indicating that if Gaza had been spared wars and its economy had grown at the same rate as the West Bank after 2006, the per capita output in 2024 would have been sixteen times higher than what was actually achieved.

Al-Harahsheh also noted that the occupation in the West Bank imposes 849 restrictions on movement, including gates and barriers that close off villages and cities, crippling movement. He questioned how trade, agriculture, or any economic activity could function under such conditions.

He stated that the situation today is much worse than what the report reflects, as the figures are more than fourteen months old, and the occupation's policies in Gaza, the West Bank, and occupied Jerusalem have exacerbated the situation to more dangerous levels.

Al-Harahsheh thanked UNCTAD for preparing the report, which, he said, demonstrates with figures that peace is the real gateway to development.