‘Utensils for olive oil’: Inside the West Bank’s deepening economic collapse

The occupied West Bank is facing a severe economic collapse and a growing hunger crisis, driven by intensified Israeli restrictions since the war on Gaza began. Many Palestinians are now bartering personal possessions like furniture and kitchenware for basic food staples such as olive oil and za'atar. This economic downturn is primarily caused by Israel banning most of the 250,000-300,000 Palestinian laborers from working in Israel, which previously injected over $5.5 billion annually into the economy. The collapse is further exacerbated by the halt in domestic tourism from Palestinian citizens of Israel and the withholding of tax revenues by Israel from the Palestinian Authority.