The West Bank's drug problem
Drug trafficking, dealing and consumption have quickly spread in the West Bank, where security is loose.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Mohammed Mohammed, who prefers to go by the pseudonym, is not ashamed to talk about his experiences of drug abuse. He was working as a construction worker in Israel when someone first gave him some hash to try.
Mohammed, 31, makes around 5,000 shekels a month (about $2,000) from his construction work and spends it all on drugs. Although Palestinian police have arrested him five times — he spent less than a month in jail each time — he has not stopped consuming drugs.
The residents of his village Sanniriya, located north of the town of Qalqilya, whisper among themselves about Mohammed and the other young men who buy and use drugs from Israel, which is nearby since the village is located close to the demarcation line between it and the West Bank.
Mohammed, who is single, told Al-Monitor that he does not even think about quitting. “I have been doing drugs for over seven years now, and I don’t think I can go to a rehab clinic,” he said. When asked why he can’t quit using drugs, Mohammed said, “I don’t know.”
