IMF Serukan `Tindakan Segera`Bantu Perekonomian Palestina
IMF Calls for `Urgent Action` to Boost Palestinian Economy
Editor : Heru S Winarno
Translator : Parulian Manalu
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Washington (B2B) - Dana Moneter Internasional (IMF) menyerukan "tindakan segera" untuk membantu memulihkan ekonomi Palestina yang terganggu akibat pembatasan oleh Israel dan ketidakpastian politik.
"Tindakan-tindakan mendesak diperlukan oleh Otoritas Palestina (PA), oleh pemerintah Israel, dan oleh donor-donor untuk menstabilkan posisi fiskal dan menghidupkan kembali pertumbuhan ekonomi PA," kata IMF dalam satu pernyataan.
IMF mengatakan situasi di Tepi Barat dan Jalur Gaza kian memburuk dalam bulan-bulan belakangan ini, mengacu pengangguran yang meningkat yang mengklaim hampir seperempat dari pasar tenaga kerja pada akhir 2012.
"Larangan-larangan Israel dan akses pada hakikatnya tidak berubah untuk menghambat prospek pertumbuhan," kata IMF, dan menyatakan bahwa Produk Domestik Kotor (GDP) meningkat hanya enam persen tahun lalu dibandingkan rata-rata sekitar 11 persen tahun 2010 dan 2011.
Penurunan GDP menjadi sekitar lima persen kemungkinan tahun ini, kata IMF karena ketidakpastian politik yang meningkat di kawasan itu.
"Konfrontasi militer antara Hamas dan Israel November lalu, perluasan pembangunan permukiman yang terus dilakukan Israel, dan meletusnya aksi kekerasan di Tepi Barat menggaris bawahi pandangan umum bahwa prospek-prospek bagi perdamaian tetap suram," kata IMF seperti dilansir GlobalPost.
Penyelidikan IMF juga mengatakan PA menghadapi "krisis likuiditas" dengan pengeluaran publik berada pada jalan "yang tidak berkesinambungan.
"Jika tidak diperiksa, kecenderungan-kecenderungan ini akhirnya menimbulkan beberapa pertanyaan legitimasi PA dan merusak kemampuannya untuk memerintah secara efektif," kata pernyataan IMF itu.
IMF menyerukan masyarakat internasional meningkatkan dukungan keuangan kepada PA, sembari mendesak "peningkatan kerjasama ekonomi dengan Israel."
Analis IMF mengutip kembali satu laporan Bank Dunia Selasa menjelang satu pertemuan donor-donor internasional 19 Maret, yang memperingatkan "kehancuran abadi" pada ekonomi Otoritas Palestina akibat hambatan-hambatan Israel dan situasi fiskal yang memburuk.
Washington - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Thursday called for "urgent action" to help revive the Palestinian economy, saying it had been choked by Israeli restrictions and political uncertainty.
"Urgent actions are needed by the Palestinian Authority (PA), by the Government of Israel, and by donors to stabilize the fiscal position and rekindle economic growth over time," the IMF said in a statement.
The fund said the situation in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip had deteriorated in recent months, pointing to rising unemployment which had claimed nearly a quarter of the labor market in late 2012.
"Israeli restrictions on movement and access are virtually unchanged and continue to hamper growth prospects," the IMF said, noting that gross domestic product had risen by only six percent last year compared to an average of around 11 percent in 2010 and 2011.
Further slippage in GDP to around five percent was possible this year, the IMF said, citing "increasing political uncertainty" in the region.
"The military confrontation between Hamas and Israel last November, continued settlement expansion, and recent outbreaks of unrest in the West Bank underline the common view that prospects for peace remain dim," the IMF said as reported GlobalPost.
The fund´s analysis also said the Palestinian Authority faced a "liquidity crisis" with public spending on an "unsustainable" trajectory.
"If left unchecked, these trends will ultimately lead some to question the legitimacy of the PA and undermine its ability to govern effectively," the IMF remarked.
The fund called on the international community to increase financial support to the Palestinian Authority while urging "enhanced economic cooperation with Israel."
The IMF analysis echoed a report by the World Bank on Tuesday ahead of a meeting of international donors on March 19, which warned of "lasting damage" to the Palestinian Authority´s economy wreaked by Israeli restrictions and the worsening fiscal situation.
