West Bank quarries continue extracting Jerusalem stone despite severe economic strain, Israeli restrictions, and threats of annexation.
SAIR, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: Quarry operator Faraj al-Atrash points to machines carving into sheer walls of dusty white rock near Beit Fajjar.
“This here is considered the main source of revenue for the entire region,” Atrash said.
The site produces Jerusalem stone, the famed pale rock used for millennia that defines the region’s architecture.
Atrash, however, said “our livelihood is constantly under threat”.
He fears equipment confiscation, settlement expansion, and the wider Palestinian financial crisis.
The war in Gaza severely impacted a Palestinian economy already in poor shape.
A recent UN report calls it “the most severe economic crisis ever recorded” in the territories.
Israel has erected hundreds of new West Bank checkpoints, paralysing commercial transport.
A halt in work permits for Palestinians inside Israel has also had a severe impact.
“There are problems with exports and market access,” explained quarry owner Ibrahim Jaradat.
He said most stone was exported to Israel, but difficulties arose after October 7.
The Palestinian Authority is on the brink of bankruptcy, worsening public services.
Fixed costs like water and electricity have soared, according to Atrash.
Quarries account for 4.5% of Palestinian GDP and employ nearly 20,000 workers.
Around 65% of exports go to the Israeli market, where some municipalities mandate its use.
“The people who buy the stones from us to resell them to construction sites are mostly Israelis,” said operator Abu Walid Riyad Gaith.
He lamented a perceived lack of solidarity from Arab countries as buyers.
Most of the West Bank’s roughly 300 quarries are in Area C under full Israeli control.
“Many settlers pass through here, and if Israel annexes Palestine, it will start with these areas,” said one anonymous operator.
Some Israeli government members openly discuss annexing parts or all of the West Bank.
Israeli settlements, illegal under international law, are expanding at a record pace.
With the West Bank’s economy wilting, quarry work remains one of few options.
“We are working ourselves to death,” Atrash said of his ten labourers.
A former geography teacher, no longer receiving his salary, now works in a neighbouring quarry.
All labourers spoken to reported back, eye, and throat problems from the dust.
“We call it white gold,” said stonemason employee Laith Derriyeh, “because it normally brings in substantial amounts of money”.
“But today everything is complicated; it’s very difficult to think about the future.”
“People have no money, and those who do are afraid to build,” he added. – AFP