PA ministers visit Nablus 2 weeks after Israel besieges it

Five Palestinian Authority (PA) ministers visited the West Bank city of Nablus yesterday in order to closely examine the consequences of the ongoing Israeli siege that was imposed on the city two weeks ago.

Nablus and the neighbouring villages have been under a tight Israeli military siege for two weeks, with most of the entrances to the city closed using mounds of earth, heavy concrete barriers, metal bars or checkpoints.

Israel is strangling Nablus. 171,000 people locked down. pic.twitter.com/LaOf3mlRm7

— Rohan Talbot (@rohantalbot) October 18, 2022

The siege, according to Wafa news agency, has resulted in almost daily delays and traffic jams, with drivers often finding themselves with no choice but to drive on rough terrain to get in and out of the city.

According to the Ministry of Economy, the Israeli siege of Nablus has stifled the lives of the city’s residents and dealt a blow to its economic activity, resulting in an estimated 60 per cent decline in economic activity.

The PA ministers, who met traders and a number of institutions, also met with the Governor of Nablus Ibrahim Ramadan and the head of the Palestine Trade Unions, Shaher Saad, who confirmed that nearly 7,000 workers have been unable to reach their workplaces.

He said that many workers in local factories were laid off because production had been cut as products cannot leave Nablus.

READ: Nablus siege will remain ‘indefinitely,’ says Israeli official