Ecomnews Med The Mediterranean News on Economy

• #ISRAEL
• #Construction
• #Employment
• #Labor

Since October 7, 2023, employment in the construction sector has partially recovered. The sector reached peak employment on the eve of the war in the third quarter of 2023, when it employed approximately 353,000 people. The outbreak of war and restrictions on Palestinian entry into the Israeli labor market led to a significant drop in the number of employees in the sector, to approximately 239,000 in the last quarter of 2023. The gradual increase in the number of foreign workers and the use of Israeli workers helped offset this decline. In the first quarter of 2025, the sector employed 336,000 people, a decrease of approximately 5% compared to the pre-war level.

• #LEBANON
• #Agriculture
• #Economy
• #Tourism

Developing Lebanon's economy, which faces major structural, political, and financial challenges, requires a multidimensional approach. What are the main possible strategies, based on an analysis of the country's economic dynamics and realities?

• #SYRIA
• #Cooperation
• #InternationalTrade

Six months after the fall of the Baathist regime, and with some international sanctions lifted at the end of May 2025, the stakes associated with reopening Syria are significant. If the political and security situation were to stabilize sustainably, Jordan could seize the opportunity for an economic recovery and position itself for the country's reconstruction.

• #JORDAN
• #Business
• #DecisionMakers
• #EconomicAnalysis
• #Economy

More than seven months after the ceasefire with Israel came into effect, the issue of Lebanon's reconstruction remains unresolved, despite significant and urgent needs.

• #ISRAEL
• #SYRIA
• #DecisionMakers
• #Economy
• #Politics

Amid historic negotiations, Syria, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, is making peace with Israel conditional on the return of a third of the Golan Heights, according to the i24NEWS television channel.

• #IRAN
• #ISRAEL
• #EconomicAnalysis
• #Economy
• #War

The economic consequences of the war between Israel and Iran are uncertain and will depend on the intensity and duration of military operations. Initially, the impact on the Middle Eastern economies appears to be mixed. Three countries are directly affected: Iran, Israel, and the Palestinian Territories (PT). The other economies (Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria), which are fragile to varying degrees and already disrupted since October 7, 2023, could be indirectly affected.

• #EGYPT
• #Budget
• #Economy
• #Growth

On March 26, 2025, the Egyptian Council of Ministers approved the draft state budget for the 2025/26 fiscal year (July to June), which will soon be submitted to the House of Representatives for adoption, expected in the coming weeks. For the first time, this budget is part of a multi-year framework covering the next three fiscal years.

• #ISRAEL
• #Economy
• #War

The expansion of military operations in the Gaza Strip could represent an additional cost of around 15 billion Israeli newcomers (4.1 billion US dollars). The defense budget of 120 billion Israeli newcomers for 2025, of which 17 billion Israeli newcomers are intended to cover reserve service needs, could prove insufficient.

• #PALESTINE
• #EconomicAnalysis
• #Economy
• #Politics

During a presentation on the economic and financial situation in the Palestinian Territories on May 12, 2025, the World Bank warned of the immense challenges facing the region, nearly eighteen months after the outbreak of the war in Gaza. In 2024, Palestinian GDP fell by 27%, marking the worst economic contraction in a generation. Gaza was particularly hard hit, with an 83% reduction in GDP, while the West Bank recorded a 17% decline.