Israeli restrictions in the West Bank undermine the Palestinian economy, the World Bank said. In a report released Wednesday, the international lending agency said Israel’s West Bank security fence and military crackdowns against Palestinian terrorism had effectively broken up the West Bank into 10 enclaves. Palestinians have access to approximately 50 percent of the West Bank while Israeli settlements expand with support from the government, the report said, adding that the situation spelled further deterioration for the Palestinian Authority economy. “Palestinian economic revival is predicated on an integrated economic entity with freedom of movement between the West Bank and Gaza and within the West Bank,” World Bank official David Craig said. Israel says the measures it takes in the West Bank are necessary to prevent terrorist attacks. The World Bank acknowledged these concerns.
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