RAMALLAH — Gunmen hired by leading Palestinian investors have attacked the Palestinian
Stock Exchange.
Palestinian sources said the gunmen
opened fire on the PA Stock Exchange in the northern West Bank city of
Nablus. The sources said nobody was injured in the May 28 attack, but the
building was damaged.
"Sources from the stock exchange indicated that the attack was motivated
by losses incurred by some individuals, due to the decline in stocks of some
companies," the Palestinian Center for Human Rights said.
Nablus has been regarded as the economic capital of the PA. The stock
exchange had risen sharply in April, followed by an equally steep decline.
The sources said foreign investors have decreased activities in the PA
over the last year. They cited attacks on foreigners in both the West Bank
and Gaza Strip.
In April, the PA canceled two conferences in the West Bank meant to
attract foreign investors. In both cases, organizers said, the investors
feared the prospect of abduction by Fatah gunmen.
The stock exchange was also believed to have been affected by the
emerging militia war. On May 28, arsonists aligned with Fatah torched the
car of the PA Prisoner Affairs Minister Wasfi Qabha in northern Jenin.
Nobody was injured.
