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| Reuters: A Palestinian worker decorates a bowl in a workshop in the West Bank town of Hebron Oct 23 2013 |
Analysis: Palestinian downturn bites, aid falters, tunnels collapse
http://news.yahoo.com/analysis-palestinian-downturn-bites-aid-falters-tunnels-collapse-133153255--business.html
By Ali Sawafta and Noah Browning
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - The arteries of Gaza's economy have
collapsed as Egypt demolishes the smuggling tunnels along its sandy
border.
Ancient stone villages in the occupied West Bank have become trapped in rural poverty, while investors and donors shy away from a zone of seemingly endless conflict.
The crackdown on the Gaza Strip and stagnation in the West Bank mean the Palestinian economy might shrink this year after average annual growth of about nine percent in 2008-2011.
The doldrums have dented a long-held belief amongst Israeli right-wingers that gathering Palestinian prosperity could achieve a de facto "economic peace" and provide a convenient alternative to a comprehensive two-state deal.
"Any talk of further developing the Palestinian economy without a lifting of Israel's restrictions is just that, talk," said the Palestinian minister for economic affairs, Jawad Naji.
"The international community urgently needs to intervene to pressure Israel to allow us access to our natural resources."
Israel fears an economic downturn could provoke violence in the West Bank, with impoverished Palestinians feeling they might have little to lose by staging another uprising against the occupation.
The economy in the Israeli occupied West Bank shrank for the first time in a decade in the first half of 2013, according to a World Bank report this month which mostly faulted Israeli curbs on Palestinian movement and access to resources.
Contraction of 0.1 percent came as foreign donor aid to the West Bank's puny economy fell by more than half in 2012.
Israel's restrictions affect much of Palestinian economic life. It controls every access point, which enables it to oversee all imports and exports, creating bureaucratic hurdles that Palestinians say stifle or kill entrepreneurship.
The Israelis also impose strict limits on water supply, which affects industry and agriculture. Israel has not allowed Palestinians access to 3G mobile technology, citing security concerns, rendering many smartphone apps largely useless....READ MORE
Ancient stone villages in the occupied West Bank have become trapped in rural poverty, while investors and donors shy away from a zone of seemingly endless conflict.
The crackdown on the Gaza Strip and stagnation in the West Bank mean the Palestinian economy might shrink this year after average annual growth of about nine percent in 2008-2011.
The doldrums have dented a long-held belief amongst Israeli right-wingers that gathering Palestinian prosperity could achieve a de facto "economic peace" and provide a convenient alternative to a comprehensive two-state deal.
"Any talk of further developing the Palestinian economy without a lifting of Israel's restrictions is just that, talk," said the Palestinian minister for economic affairs, Jawad Naji.
"The international community urgently needs to intervene to pressure Israel to allow us access to our natural resources."
Israel fears an economic downturn could provoke violence in the West Bank, with impoverished Palestinians feeling they might have little to lose by staging another uprising against the occupation.
The economy in the Israeli occupied West Bank shrank for the first time in a decade in the first half of 2013, according to a World Bank report this month which mostly faulted Israeli curbs on Palestinian movement and access to resources.
Contraction of 0.1 percent came as foreign donor aid to the West Bank's puny economy fell by more than half in 2012.
Israel's restrictions affect much of Palestinian economic life. It controls every access point, which enables it to oversee all imports and exports, creating bureaucratic hurdles that Palestinians say stifle or kill entrepreneurship.
The Israelis also impose strict limits on water supply, which affects industry and agriculture. Israel has not allowed Palestinians access to 3G mobile technology, citing security concerns, rendering many smartphone apps largely useless....READ MORE
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