October 19th, '05
International Donors "Concerned"

Ahem.

The lead story in the latest issue of the Jerusalem Report notes:

The first crops from the Gush Katif hothouses formerly owned by Jews that were bought with foreign donations for the Palestinians are due to be harvested in November, and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is taking a "personal interest" in how freely Israel allows the produce out of the Gaza Strip... This follows a month during which Palestinian violence and a subsequent Israeli-imposed security closure severely restricted the passage of people and goods out of the Strip. "If the current situation with Palestinian cargo continues, there will be a catastrophe," warns [PA minister] Ghassan Khatib.

I'm not sure how many people outside of the country know that, despite the unilateral disengagement from Gaza, and the de facto creation of the Palestinian State, Israel is still expected to act as caretaker - by providing jobs for Gaza's Arab population and unrestricted access to medical care within Israel proper. This despite the fact that Palestinian suicide bombers have repeatedly targeted the very border crossings that lead to jobs on the Israeli side. One would-be bomber - luckily caught at one of these dreaded checkpoints - proudly declared that her intention had been to bomb the Israeli hospital where she herself had been treated.

And now Israel is being pressured by the US government to make sure that there is a steady flow of shekels into the Palestinian economy via "unobstructed" trade.

Pu-lease. The Palestinian people are among the largest per capita recipients of foreign aid in the world. If they want to use all those dollars and euros to purchase weaponry and indoctrinate their children with death-cult ideology rather than build hospitals, that's their decision. But don't ask Israelis to act as the "enabler." Co-existence, not co-dependence, that's my motto.

Special US envoy for the disengagement, former World Bank president James Wolfensohn, reportedly donated half a million dollars out of his own pocket to purchase the Gush Katif hothouses for Palestianian use. Maybe that's the source of the "donor concern" mentioned in the headline. With all due respect for Wolfensohn - who may have sincerely wanted to do his bit to put Palestinian society one step closer to self-reliance - I can't help but wonder if he's been following his investment.

Immediately after Israel pulled out of Gaza, Palestinian mobs destroyed the very infrastructure that Wolfensohn and his friends purchased for them, tearing the hothouses apart for spare parts. At the same time, they burned down every one of Gaza's synagogues - the kind of anti-Jewish destruction that hasn't been seen since Kristallnacht.

It's "glitches" like this that can make people just a teensy bit hesitant about entering into a business partnership.

Have any US officials expressed "concern" for the economic welfare of the 10,000 Gaza Jews thrown out of their homes? If they have, I haven't heard about it.

There is no question that Israel - in local terms - is an economic powerhouse, and it hurts me to see Palestinians living in poverty while the world's humanitarian aid is used to finance the war against Israel - and for fattening the PA leaders' personal bank accounts. I'd like to see the Palestinians reach an Israeli level of success, and I believe this is possible - just as soon they start taking responsibility for themselves.

Back to Diary Menu

  Order Now!