HEBRON, West Bank — The West Bank city of Hebron is separated from the epicenter of China's virus outbreak by more than 4,000 miles and a ring of Israeli checkpoints. Their concerns point to the potential for wide-ranging ripple effects from the outbreak in China, the world's largest exporter. That a city deep inside the Israeli-occupied West Bank is so reliant on Chinese goods illustrates the perils of global economic integration. The illness, recently named COVID-19, first emerged in December in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. No cases have yet been identified in Israel or the Palestinian territories, but merchants have felt the impact and fear the worst is yet to come.

Source: International New York Times February 18, 2020 06:45 UTC