The unabated expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is weighing heavily on the situation of workers in occupied Palestinian territories, according to the annual report of the International Labor Organization released Monday. “The situation of workers in the occupied Arab territories is extremely worrying and remains precarious ... This is above all due to the realities of the occupation on the ground and the expansion of Israeli settlements, leading to a shrinking space for Palestinian development,” the report said. The report warned that the existence and viability of a fully functioning Palestinian state are in jeopardy if no political solution is in sight. The report said unemployment in the occupied Palestinian territory declined by 4.1 percent in 2011 to 222,000 people, resulting in an overall unemployment rate of 21 percent, compared to 23.7 percent in 2010. The decline was primarily due to a reduction in the unemployment rate in Gaza by more than 9 percent, but overall unemployment is still higher than what it was in 2000 when opportunities to work in Israel were significantly curtailed. From The Daily Star