West Bank Checkpoints Cripple Palestinian Businesses
A surge in Israeli military checkpoints and roadblocks across the occupied West Bank has severely hampered Palestinian commerce. A dairy factory near Nablus reported a 30-40 percent drop in sales and had to lay off workers. Transport movement in the territory has fallen by more than half since the Gaza war began.
Al-Kamel Dairy, operating since 2022, has its two delivery trucks parked due to a lack of demand. The 147 checkpoints in the Nablus governorate, its primary market, create two-to-three-hour waits for refrigerated milk shipments, inflating costs and leading to the dismissal of 12 employees.
Transport movement across the West Bank has dropped by over half since the Gaza conflict began. This decline, alongside the suspension of Israeli work permits and falling wages, has worsened a recession, preventing local factories from passing higher production costs onto consumers.
The escalating checkpoint network could entrench economic stagnation across the West Bank. Local businesses may face permanent closures, potentially driving sustained unemployment among Palestinian workers. Consumers could experience reduced availability of perishable goods, like dairy, affecting daily nutrition and living costs.