A statement released by the FAO press office revealed that, according to the Data in Emergencies (DIEM) survey, 90% of farming families in the region are facing a severe decline in crop and livestock production and sales as a result of these attacks.
Rein Paulsen, Director of the FAO’s Office of Emergencies and Resilience, noted that the results of this study, the second conducted in the West Bank this year, show that “farming families urgently need assistance, both in cash and in kind, to mitigate the effects of widespread settler violence.”
These actions are causing “a deepening of the economic crisis and a near-total loss of income” for Palestinians in the area, the senior official asserted.
The report specifies that of the approximately 700,000 families living in the West Bank, some 115,000 depend on agriculture for their livelihood, making this sector a fundamental element for food security and income.
The survey highlighted the growing pressure they face, showing that nine out of ten farming families have recently suffered at least one acute crisis, victims of Israeli attacks, settler violence, the rising cost of living, and job losses.
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