18 oct 2012
PMA Condemns Israeli Report Accusation on Money Laundering Operations
Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) condemned on Wednesday Israeli reports on alleged accusations of money laundering executed on behalf of Arabs living in Israel.
PMA issued a statement to condemn such unfounded allegations in which it described it as null and void.
PMA also reiterated it strictly implements international Anti Money Laundering (AML) standards. The World Bank latest reports said Palestine oversight systems for combating money laundering were one of the best in the Middle East.
In a response to Israeli Shekel surplus in the Palestinian market, PMA Governor Dr. Jihad Khalil Al-Wazir clarified this was a normal result due to the increase in deposits in banks operating locally which is estimated to be at least $7 billion, and as a result of the dynamic economic activities of the private sector, in addition to adopting the banking service expansion policy, where more than 20 branches have been opened in the past two years raising the total number of branches and offices to 232.
The number of customers using the banking system in Palestine went up to 1.5 million, and the number of accounts opened at banks rose to 2.6 million accounts, resulting in a continuous surge in deposits.
Dr. Al-Wazir also said Israel has been imposing restrictions and impediments against transfer of aggregate amounts at the Palestinian banks in NIS currency since 2007, and the necessary permissions have not been granted despite the persistent demands by the PMA to the Israelis since six months.
The PMA said that such news at this time come as part of a deliberate act against the PMA in light of the current financial crisis, and reports mentioned in this respect are totally baseless.
PMA issued a statement to condemn such unfounded allegations in which it described it as null and void.
PMA also reiterated it strictly implements international Anti Money Laundering (AML) standards. The World Bank latest reports said Palestine oversight systems for combating money laundering were one of the best in the Middle East.
In a response to Israeli Shekel surplus in the Palestinian market, PMA Governor Dr. Jihad Khalil Al-Wazir clarified this was a normal result due to the increase in deposits in banks operating locally which is estimated to be at least $7 billion, and as a result of the dynamic economic activities of the private sector, in addition to adopting the banking service expansion policy, where more than 20 branches have been opened in the past two years raising the total number of branches and offices to 232.
The number of customers using the banking system in Palestine went up to 1.5 million, and the number of accounts opened at banks rose to 2.6 million accounts, resulting in a continuous surge in deposits.
Dr. Al-Wazir also said Israel has been imposing restrictions and impediments against transfer of aggregate amounts at the Palestinian banks in NIS currency since 2007, and the necessary permissions have not been granted despite the persistent demands by the PMA to the Israelis since six months.
The PMA said that such news at this time come as part of a deliberate act against the PMA in light of the current financial crisis, and reports mentioned in this respect are totally baseless.
12 oct 2012
8 oct 2012
Workers in West Bank's universities will start strikes
Workers at universities in the West Bank announced their intention to adopt escalatory steps, including strikes, if Salam Fayyad's government does not meet their demands in light of the low salaries and price rises in West Bank.
The trade union of workers at Palestinian universities said, in a press release, that things are moving towards launching strikes in case their demands are not met by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Ramallah.
Amjad Barham, the union chairman, revealed that a meeting will be held next Wednesday between the members of the union and the "minister" of Education and Higher Education in Fayyad's government, Ali Jarbawi, to discuss issues related to the high costs of living, scientific research and the demands of workers in Palestinian universities.
He also stressed that in case the meeting fails, the strikes and the escalation will start on Thursday.
The trade union of workers at Palestinian universities said, in a press release, that things are moving towards launching strikes in case their demands are not met by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in Ramallah.
Amjad Barham, the union chairman, revealed that a meeting will be held next Wednesday between the members of the union and the "minister" of Education and Higher Education in Fayyad's government, Ali Jarbawi, to discuss issues related to the high costs of living, scientific research and the demands of workers in Palestinian universities.
He also stressed that in case the meeting fails, the strikes and the escalation will start on Thursday.
3 oct 2012
PA preparing to set minimum wage
The Palestinian Authority will announce a minimum wage on October 15, the minister of labor said Tuesday.
Ahmad Majdalani declined to reveal figures, but told Ma'an that detailed discussions on monthly, daily and hourly minimum wages had been held for two months. Palestinian labor law regarding internships and probation contracts had also been considered, Majdalani said.
"We are close to reaching an agreement on the minimum wages," he said.
Concerned authorities have responded positively to the decisions reached but the private sector and trade unions have yet to study the proposal, the minister added.
A national committee for wages has agreed that minimum wages should guarantee decent living conditions for workers and their families without causing negative impacts on the economic development of private sector institutions.
Data compiled by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics has been taken into account, as well as international standards, Majdalani said.
The minister of national economy, Jawad al-Naji, said in September that the PA would enact a law setting a minimum wage for workers in both the public and private sectors.
The announcement was one of several measures announced by the PA following a wave of demonstrations across the West Bank protesting the rising cost of living.
P.A Financial Crisis Likely To Escalate
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior Palestinian official stated that, during their September 23rd and 24th meetings in New York, representatives of Donor Countries did not express any interest in funding the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank despite its sharp financial crisis.
The official said that donor countries, including Arab states, did not express any interest in supporting the P.A, and added that the meetings did not lead to any promises to provide funding to the P.A, an issue that would lead to an even bigger crisis.
“We did not hear any promises of any funding”, the official stated, “The Europeans even said that they paid enough and cannot continue to pay, and the Arabs did not show any interest”.
The official added that the U.S. Administration even froze the transfer of $450 Million that were originally allocated to Egypt.
“The upcoming elections in the United States are affecting its international polices, the U.S. administration is also trying to avoid issues that would put it in conflict with the Congress”, he said, “We do not even expect the crisis to be resolved after the American elections are concluded, Arab and International embargo against the P.A is likely to continue due to differences regarding the Palestinian application for a nonmember state at the United Nations, the U.S. is strongly against the move”.
As for options regarding resolving the issue, the official said that the P.A. does not have any options except “reconsidering its internal revenues and resources”. This likely means more increase in prices and cutting off several social services despite protests held by the Palestinians against sharp increase of living costs and high fuel prices.
It is worth mentioning that, during the meeting of donor countries, Palestinian Finance Minister, Nabil Qassis, presented on September 24, a detailed report showing the crisis the P.A is facing and the accumulated debts resulting from the lack of funding and Israel’s refusal to regularly transfer tax money it collects on behalf of the P.A on border terminals in the West Bank.
Qassis warned that the current crisis is threatening the efforts conducted by the P.A to establish an independent Palestinian State, and added that donor countries previously promised to transfer $300 Million to help the P.A, but the money was never transferred.
Ahmad Majdalani declined to reveal figures, but told Ma'an that detailed discussions on monthly, daily and hourly minimum wages had been held for two months. Palestinian labor law regarding internships and probation contracts had also been considered, Majdalani said.
"We are close to reaching an agreement on the minimum wages," he said.
Concerned authorities have responded positively to the decisions reached but the private sector and trade unions have yet to study the proposal, the minister added.
A national committee for wages has agreed that minimum wages should guarantee decent living conditions for workers and their families without causing negative impacts on the economic development of private sector institutions.
Data compiled by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics has been taken into account, as well as international standards, Majdalani said.
The minister of national economy, Jawad al-Naji, said in September that the PA would enact a law setting a minimum wage for workers in both the public and private sectors.
The announcement was one of several measures announced by the PA following a wave of demonstrations across the West Bank protesting the rising cost of living.
P.A Financial Crisis Likely To Escalate
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a senior Palestinian official stated that, during their September 23rd and 24th meetings in New York, representatives of Donor Countries did not express any interest in funding the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank despite its sharp financial crisis.
The official said that donor countries, including Arab states, did not express any interest in supporting the P.A, and added that the meetings did not lead to any promises to provide funding to the P.A, an issue that would lead to an even bigger crisis.
“We did not hear any promises of any funding”, the official stated, “The Europeans even said that they paid enough and cannot continue to pay, and the Arabs did not show any interest”.
The official added that the U.S. Administration even froze the transfer of $450 Million that were originally allocated to Egypt.
“The upcoming elections in the United States are affecting its international polices, the U.S. administration is also trying to avoid issues that would put it in conflict with the Congress”, he said, “We do not even expect the crisis to be resolved after the American elections are concluded, Arab and International embargo against the P.A is likely to continue due to differences regarding the Palestinian application for a nonmember state at the United Nations, the U.S. is strongly against the move”.
As for options regarding resolving the issue, the official said that the P.A. does not have any options except “reconsidering its internal revenues and resources”. This likely means more increase in prices and cutting off several social services despite protests held by the Palestinians against sharp increase of living costs and high fuel prices.
It is worth mentioning that, during the meeting of donor countries, Palestinian Finance Minister, Nabil Qassis, presented on September 24, a detailed report showing the crisis the P.A is facing and the accumulated debts resulting from the lack of funding and Israel’s refusal to regularly transfer tax money it collects on behalf of the P.A on border terminals in the West Bank.
Qassis warned that the current crisis is threatening the efforts conducted by the P.A to establish an independent Palestinian State, and added that donor countries previously promised to transfer $300 Million to help the P.A, but the money was never transferred.
2 oct 2012
Egypt to raise Gaza power supply to 30 megawatts
Egyptian minister of electricity and energy Mahmoud Balbaa said on Monday that his country would raise during the next two weeks the electrical capacity provided for Gaza to 30 megawatts in the context of promoting the Egyptian ties with the Palestinian people.
Balbaa told Bawabet Al-Ahram news website that his ministry transferred new power transformer with its distribution cells and control system to Sheikh Zuwaid power station that supplies Gaza with electricity and initiated the installation process.
Balbaa stressed the importance of the Egyptian-Palestinian relations and affirmed that Egypt would spare no effort to help Gaza people.
Balbaa told Bawabet Al-Ahram news website that his ministry transferred new power transformer with its distribution cells and control system to Sheikh Zuwaid power station that supplies Gaza with electricity and initiated the installation process.
Balbaa stressed the importance of the Egyptian-Palestinian relations and affirmed that Egypt would spare no effort to help Gaza people.
Dismissed employees to stage a sit-in and open strike in Ramallah
A number of employees, dismissed from their jobs on political grounds, called for a continuous sit-in and an open-ended hunger strike on Tuesday in case Fayyad’s government did not meet their demands concerning the implementation of Supreme Court’s decision to let them immediately return to their jobs.
In a statement, the dismissed employees in West Bank called on all the dismissed employees from the Palestinian ministries to participate effectively in the strike and the sit-in on Tuesday morning in Ramallah.
Tamer Wahdan was one the participants in the sit-in who has confirmed to launch an open-ended hunger strike till his return to his job.
The Palestinian Supreme Court had issued a judicial ruling on Tuesday September 4, 2012 considering Fayyad government’s decisions to dismiss the employees for political reasons illegal and void and ordered the government to reinstate them. However, Fayyad government ignored the Court’s decision.
In a statement, the dismissed employees in West Bank called on all the dismissed employees from the Palestinian ministries to participate effectively in the strike and the sit-in on Tuesday morning in Ramallah.
Tamer Wahdan was one the participants in the sit-in who has confirmed to launch an open-ended hunger strike till his return to his job.
The Palestinian Supreme Court had issued a judicial ruling on Tuesday September 4, 2012 considering Fayyad government’s decisions to dismiss the employees for political reasons illegal and void and ordered the government to reinstate them. However, Fayyad government ignored the Court’s decision.
1 oct 2012
Official: Cost of domestic-use gas to decrease in Gaza
Prices of domestic-use gas in the Gaza Strip were decreased on Monday morning after a reduction by the Israeli supplier, an official said.
Muhammad al-Abadla, a board member at the oil companies association, said that a 12-kilo canister of domestic-use gas will be reduced from 74 to 64 shekels ($16).
The Gaza Strip, added al-Abadla, is currently receiving 180 tons of domestic-use gas per day. He said the amount was satisfactory, but Gaza needs 350 tons each day.
Muhammad al-Abadla, a board member at the oil companies association, said that a 12-kilo canister of domestic-use gas will be reduced from 74 to 64 shekels ($16).
The Gaza Strip, added al-Abadla, is currently receiving 180 tons of domestic-use gas per day. He said the amount was satisfactory, but Gaza needs 350 tons each day.
Gaza ministry says asking for cheaper mobile, internet services
Gaza's telecommunications ministry is contacting mobile and internet companies to ask them to reduce prices and improve services, the ministry said on Monday.
The ministry’s director of public relations Samir Hamtou told Ma’an that his ministry conducted a comprehensive evaluation into the quality and prices of internet services in the coastal enclave in September.
Consultations are still ongoing, he said, and some providers have already announced reduced packages.
With regards to mobile prices, Hamtou says his ministry has been receiving a lot of complaints and for that reason the ministry is studying the pricing system adopted by Palestinian provider Jawwal.
The ministry’s director of public relations Samir Hamtou told Ma’an that his ministry conducted a comprehensive evaluation into the quality and prices of internet services in the coastal enclave in September.
Consultations are still ongoing, he said, and some providers have already announced reduced packages.
With regards to mobile prices, Hamtou says his ministry has been receiving a lot of complaints and for that reason the ministry is studying the pricing system adopted by Palestinian provider Jawwal.
Electricity company: Govt bodies have not paid bills
Some Palestinian Authority government institutions have not paid their electricity bills for more than two years, the head of the indebted Jerusalem electricity company has revealed.
The company, which supplies power to Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Ramallah and Jericho, still owes its Israeli supplier around 300 million shekels ($76 million), Director-General Hisham al-Umari told Ma'an on Sunday.
The Israeli company has repeatedly postponed threats to cut power supplies.
Al-Umari said the Palestinian Authority government owes the company around 90 million shekels ($22 million).
"The PA transferred 20 million shekels in August, but in September nothing was transferred despite promises by the government to pay some money in September," he added.
Al-Umari said he had not heard anything new from Israel about punitive power cuts, but noted the Israeli supplier was considering other methods to exert pressure over their debt.
The Israeli company can refuse to expand the power supply if the Palestinian provider wants to connect new areas to its grid, he said.
It could also ration power supplies to the Jerusalem company, he said, highlighting that power demand usually increases in the coming winter months.
The third way to exert pressure on the electricity company is through legal procedures, al-Umari added, although he noted that it would take many years in court before the Israeli company could seize its assets.
The Palestinian Authority could make a serious contribution to end the electricity crisis if legal procedures are taken against the common practice of stealing electricity, he urged.
About 20 million worth power is stolen every month in the West Bank, al-Umari noted.
He also called on the government to reactivate a public certification system whereby a declaration that all outstanding bills were paid was necessary for obtaining government services such as a driving license, birth registration or travel documents.
This 'acquittance system' was only canceled "to satisfy some powerful people who do not pay electricity bills," he said.
The company, which supplies power to Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Ramallah and Jericho, still owes its Israeli supplier around 300 million shekels ($76 million), Director-General Hisham al-Umari told Ma'an on Sunday.
The Israeli company has repeatedly postponed threats to cut power supplies.
Al-Umari said the Palestinian Authority government owes the company around 90 million shekels ($22 million).
"The PA transferred 20 million shekels in August, but in September nothing was transferred despite promises by the government to pay some money in September," he added.
Al-Umari said he had not heard anything new from Israel about punitive power cuts, but noted the Israeli supplier was considering other methods to exert pressure over their debt.
The Israeli company can refuse to expand the power supply if the Palestinian provider wants to connect new areas to its grid, he said.
It could also ration power supplies to the Jerusalem company, he said, highlighting that power demand usually increases in the coming winter months.
The third way to exert pressure on the electricity company is through legal procedures, al-Umari added, although he noted that it would take many years in court before the Israeli company could seize its assets.
The Palestinian Authority could make a serious contribution to end the electricity crisis if legal procedures are taken against the common practice of stealing electricity, he urged.
About 20 million worth power is stolen every month in the West Bank, al-Umari noted.
He also called on the government to reactivate a public certification system whereby a declaration that all outstanding bills were paid was necessary for obtaining government services such as a driving license, birth registration or travel documents.
This 'acquittance system' was only canceled "to satisfy some powerful people who do not pay electricity bills," he said.
30 sept 2012
PA finance ministry to cut fuel prices from Oct. 1
The Palestinian Ministry of Finance announced Sunday that fuel prices are set to be reduced, a statement said.
The price cuts, which will be implemented on Oct. 1, will see a liter of diesel reduced from 6.95 shekels ($1.77) to 6.70 ($1.70). A liter of benzene will now cost 7.60 shekels ($1.93), down from 7.98 shekels ($2), and a 12kg canister of domestic-use gas will be reduced to 64 shekels ($16), down from 65.
In early September, PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad announced that fuel prices would be cut from October. The measures were part of a package to alleviate the economic crisis which had pushed Palestinians to the streets to protest the rising cost of living.
Fayyad, who also held the finance minister post until earlier this year, had emerged as a focus of the protests, but demonstrators have also demanded that the Paris Protocol agreement signed with Israel in 1994 be amended.
The Protocol gave Israel sole control over Palestine's external trade, and collection of customs duties, allowing the state to serially hold back this revenue as punishment for Palestinian political measures, such as the bid for UN membership.
It also pegs VAT to Israeli tax rates, currently at 17 percent, despite the huge disparity in average Palestinian and Israeli incomes.
The price cuts, which will be implemented on Oct. 1, will see a liter of diesel reduced from 6.95 shekels ($1.77) to 6.70 ($1.70). A liter of benzene will now cost 7.60 shekels ($1.93), down from 7.98 shekels ($2), and a 12kg canister of domestic-use gas will be reduced to 64 shekels ($16), down from 65.
In early September, PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad announced that fuel prices would be cut from October. The measures were part of a package to alleviate the economic crisis which had pushed Palestinians to the streets to protest the rising cost of living.
Fayyad, who also held the finance minister post until earlier this year, had emerged as a focus of the protests, but demonstrators have also demanded that the Paris Protocol agreement signed with Israel in 1994 be amended.
The Protocol gave Israel sole control over Palestine's external trade, and collection of customs duties, allowing the state to serially hold back this revenue as punishment for Palestinian political measures, such as the bid for UN membership.
It also pegs VAT to Israeli tax rates, currently at 17 percent, despite the huge disparity in average Palestinian and Israeli incomes.
West Bank standards agency says tested 175 producers
The West Bank government agency charged with monitoring quality standards for Palestinian products has begun testing 175 producers.
In a statement on Sunday the Palestine Standards Institution said initial tests had been conducted, and the next stage is scrutinizing the quality system inside factories, and then taking samples for tests.
In June, the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Agriculture opened its first laboratory for testing meat and dairy products to meet international standards
Through international accreditation with the International Organization for Standardization, the facility is working to help exporters obtain necessary health and safety certificates to expand into international and Israeli markets.
In a statement on Sunday the Palestine Standards Institution said initial tests had been conducted, and the next stage is scrutinizing the quality system inside factories, and then taking samples for tests.
In June, the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Agriculture opened its first laboratory for testing meat and dairy products to meet international standards
Through international accreditation with the International Organization for Standardization, the facility is working to help exporters obtain necessary health and safety certificates to expand into international and Israeli markets.
Financial aid to the PA: The answer to our prayers?
By Issam Younis
It is no wonder that there is ongoing news about financial aid to the Palestinian Authority, following calls from its president and his prime minister for immediate help while the PA suffers a severe financial crisis.
The Israeli prime minister decided to release 250 million shekels ($62.5 million) from the customs duties collected by Israeli authorities and which they are obliged to transfer to the PA. Israeli authorities deducted 35 million shekels ($9 million) to compensate for an Israeli company's unpaid electricity bills by the PA.
Meanwhile, the US administration decided to earmark $200 million as financial aid to the PA and the EU pledged to double its aid to 200 million euros in 2012.
It sounds like prayers in the Holy Land have been answered. In previous years, such calls from the PA were not answered by their financiers in the international community.
The most interesting aspect has been the formal request of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the US to secure immediate financial aid to the PA. He showed sympathy with the PA and the danger that it would collapse.
Before this, Netanyahu was more likely to ask the American administration and Congress to punish the Palestinians. He had previously used Israel's ability to withhold tax revenues as a tool to punish Palestinians, particularly when the PA decided to appeal for full membership of the UN.
This sudden generosity from those who once used finances to reward and punish Palestinians suggests two main issues.
The first is that those who answered the appeals for aid would not have done so if there were no protests in the West Bank against high prices. Palestinians are not able, even when they receive their salaries, to secure a decent living for their families.
The second issue is that the wide scale of these protests raised the donors' fears that the PA would suffer a massive shock, potentially even leading to government breakdown or self-dissolution.
This would mean the PA exempting itself from responsibility towards the Palestinians, forcing Israel to re-shoulder the responsibility. This situation would never be accepted by the parties.
The PA was created by an agreement between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the occupying state, in order to take on the responsibility and legal obligations regarding land, jobs, and citizens. The PA depended on international aid to fulfill its obligations towards its people.
The world has generously provided support to the PA in the form of either budget support or development finances. This created a fragile situation because of the PA's total dependence on foreign aid. This finance also remains entirely political, keeping the PA under the control of the donors.
These financiers spend the money whenever they want and in forms that they decide, exerting political pressure on the PA in order to keep it in submission. This situation has made the PA akin to a large municipality.
Since the creation of the PA, no financial support has been provided without pressure from Israel to ensure that the money is used as planned. The international community became satisfied with its financing role. They persuade their taxpayers that this money contributes to making peace.
The aid to the PA is supposed to be used for creating job opportunities, rehabilitating infrastructure, and relieving the destructive impact of the Israeli occupation on all aspects of Palestinian life. In these aims, it has failed.
Such money can never compensate the Palestinians for even a quarter of their losses due to the Israeli siege, economic policies, and restrictions.
It is simply part of a bill paid to the occupation, in order to carry out the occupation. Israel now has the least costly occupation in the world. Can this money be honestly directed at these aims when there is no political pressure on Israel to lift its siege?
In the occupied Palestinian territories we are now reaping the harvest of past actions: from the illusion of authority to the illusion of building state institutions under occupation.
What authority and what institutions as long as we are unable to control the basic minimum of our resources and potential? What state when we are denied freedom of movement from one city to another, intercepted by more than 100 military checkpoints?
The building of settlements has not stopped for a moment in a race against time to change the features of our lands. What illusion do we have now the Holy City is completely Judaized and all the Palestinian, Arab, Islamic, and Christian witness is already erased?
What state when we are ferociously divided from each other, dangerously threatening our cause? What illusion when all that is achieved is a temporary authority that can never leave the clutches of dependency on the aid?
Our funders are the same international community that have tolerated the crimes of the occupiers against Palestinians. Some parties that provide financial aid have even secured a political and legal cover for these crimes in the Security Council and elsewhere, rewarding the executioner and punishing the victim. They drowned us under heavy political pressure, eroding all our dignity and self-worth.
The financial crisis that is creating a storm for the PA is neither the first nor the last.
It will be repeated as long as we are standing in the same political position, as long as we agree to be under the yoke of international aid with its political color.
The way out of this hideously dangerous and fragile situation can only be achieved by correcting the fundamental wrongs and getting rid of this dilemma we have put ourselves in.
The starting point is to reconsider the Palestine Liberation Organization in its capacity as the collective fighting framework and representative of the Palestinians, and to put an end to the internal political split immediately. This can help protect our national project from an eminent catastrophe that will disintegrate our whole cause.
Ending the split must take place based on a partnership and national agreement that guarantees our goals. We need a political and legal association against the occupation in a fight that will include all Palestinians. We must refuse any action or procedure that decreases our rights.
Our goals are to end the occupation, ensure our legal rights are not subject to any further violation, and realize justice for our blood that was shed in volumes, the suffering of our mothers, and the pain of our prisoners.
Issam Younis is the General Director of Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights
It is no wonder that there is ongoing news about financial aid to the Palestinian Authority, following calls from its president and his prime minister for immediate help while the PA suffers a severe financial crisis.
The Israeli prime minister decided to release 250 million shekels ($62.5 million) from the customs duties collected by Israeli authorities and which they are obliged to transfer to the PA. Israeli authorities deducted 35 million shekels ($9 million) to compensate for an Israeli company's unpaid electricity bills by the PA.
Meanwhile, the US administration decided to earmark $200 million as financial aid to the PA and the EU pledged to double its aid to 200 million euros in 2012.
It sounds like prayers in the Holy Land have been answered. In previous years, such calls from the PA were not answered by their financiers in the international community.
The most interesting aspect has been the formal request of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the US to secure immediate financial aid to the PA. He showed sympathy with the PA and the danger that it would collapse.
Before this, Netanyahu was more likely to ask the American administration and Congress to punish the Palestinians. He had previously used Israel's ability to withhold tax revenues as a tool to punish Palestinians, particularly when the PA decided to appeal for full membership of the UN.
This sudden generosity from those who once used finances to reward and punish Palestinians suggests two main issues.
The first is that those who answered the appeals for aid would not have done so if there were no protests in the West Bank against high prices. Palestinians are not able, even when they receive their salaries, to secure a decent living for their families.
The second issue is that the wide scale of these protests raised the donors' fears that the PA would suffer a massive shock, potentially even leading to government breakdown or self-dissolution.
This would mean the PA exempting itself from responsibility towards the Palestinians, forcing Israel to re-shoulder the responsibility. This situation would never be accepted by the parties.
The PA was created by an agreement between the Palestine Liberation Organization and the occupying state, in order to take on the responsibility and legal obligations regarding land, jobs, and citizens. The PA depended on international aid to fulfill its obligations towards its people.
The world has generously provided support to the PA in the form of either budget support or development finances. This created a fragile situation because of the PA's total dependence on foreign aid. This finance also remains entirely political, keeping the PA under the control of the donors.
These financiers spend the money whenever they want and in forms that they decide, exerting political pressure on the PA in order to keep it in submission. This situation has made the PA akin to a large municipality.
Since the creation of the PA, no financial support has been provided without pressure from Israel to ensure that the money is used as planned. The international community became satisfied with its financing role. They persuade their taxpayers that this money contributes to making peace.
The aid to the PA is supposed to be used for creating job opportunities, rehabilitating infrastructure, and relieving the destructive impact of the Israeli occupation on all aspects of Palestinian life. In these aims, it has failed.
Such money can never compensate the Palestinians for even a quarter of their losses due to the Israeli siege, economic policies, and restrictions.
It is simply part of a bill paid to the occupation, in order to carry out the occupation. Israel now has the least costly occupation in the world. Can this money be honestly directed at these aims when there is no political pressure on Israel to lift its siege?
In the occupied Palestinian territories we are now reaping the harvest of past actions: from the illusion of authority to the illusion of building state institutions under occupation.
What authority and what institutions as long as we are unable to control the basic minimum of our resources and potential? What state when we are denied freedom of movement from one city to another, intercepted by more than 100 military checkpoints?
The building of settlements has not stopped for a moment in a race against time to change the features of our lands. What illusion do we have now the Holy City is completely Judaized and all the Palestinian, Arab, Islamic, and Christian witness is already erased?
What state when we are ferociously divided from each other, dangerously threatening our cause? What illusion when all that is achieved is a temporary authority that can never leave the clutches of dependency on the aid?
Our funders are the same international community that have tolerated the crimes of the occupiers against Palestinians. Some parties that provide financial aid have even secured a political and legal cover for these crimes in the Security Council and elsewhere, rewarding the executioner and punishing the victim. They drowned us under heavy political pressure, eroding all our dignity and self-worth.
The financial crisis that is creating a storm for the PA is neither the first nor the last.
It will be repeated as long as we are standing in the same political position, as long as we agree to be under the yoke of international aid with its political color.
The way out of this hideously dangerous and fragile situation can only be achieved by correcting the fundamental wrongs and getting rid of this dilemma we have put ourselves in.
The starting point is to reconsider the Palestine Liberation Organization in its capacity as the collective fighting framework and representative of the Palestinians, and to put an end to the internal political split immediately. This can help protect our national project from an eminent catastrophe that will disintegrate our whole cause.
Ending the split must take place based on a partnership and national agreement that guarantees our goals. We need a political and legal association against the occupation in a fight that will include all Palestinians. We must refuse any action or procedure that decreases our rights.
Our goals are to end the occupation, ensure our legal rights are not subject to any further violation, and realize justice for our blood that was shed in volumes, the suffering of our mothers, and the pain of our prisoners.
Issam Younis is the General Director of Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights
27 sept 2012
PA: 3.5 million visits to West Bank, Gaza since January
The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said 3.5 million visits were made to the occupied territories from January to August 2012.
Releasing the statistics on the occasion of World Tourism Day, the PCBS and ministry recorded 1.7 million inbound visitors and 1.8 million domestic visits to gardens, parks and other sites.
The number is 28 percent higher than during the same period in 2011, although domestic visits fell by 10 percent, they said.
Most visitors, 44 percent, went to Bethlehem, which was followed by Jericho and Jenin with 28 percent and 8 percent of the total number of visitors, according to the announcement.
Most visitors were Palestinian citizens of Israel, 45 percent, followed by Russia with 12 percent and 5 percent each from the US, Italy and Poland. Germany and Indonesia made up 3 percent each.
Most visitors (33 percent) stayed in Jerusalem, while the besieged Gaza Strip welcomed just 1 percent of the total. The rest stayed overnight in cities in the West Bank.
In August 2012, there were 98 hotel rooms in the Palestinian territories.
Releasing the statistics on the occasion of World Tourism Day, the PCBS and ministry recorded 1.7 million inbound visitors and 1.8 million domestic visits to gardens, parks and other sites.
The number is 28 percent higher than during the same period in 2011, although domestic visits fell by 10 percent, they said.
Most visitors, 44 percent, went to Bethlehem, which was followed by Jericho and Jenin with 28 percent and 8 percent of the total number of visitors, according to the announcement.
Most visitors were Palestinian citizens of Israel, 45 percent, followed by Russia with 12 percent and 5 percent each from the US, Italy and Poland. Germany and Indonesia made up 3 percent each.
Most visitors (33 percent) stayed in Jerusalem, while the besieged Gaza Strip welcomed just 1 percent of the total. The rest stayed overnight in cities in the West Bank.
In August 2012, there were 98 hotel rooms in the Palestinian territories.
Israel to grant 5,000 Palestinians work permits
Israel will allow 5,000 Palestinians from the West Bank to enter Israel to work in agriculture and construction, the Israeli news site Ynet reported Thursday.
Israel's socio-economic cabinet approved the motion, which was filed by Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz. Some 10,000 entry visas have been granted to Palestinians in recent months, Ynet reported.
In June, Israel launched a mass deportation drive to expel thousands African migrants, who had been a source of cheap labor in Israel. Netanyahu's government said the migrants were job-seekers who threatened the Jewish character of Israel.
The deportation drive followed violent anti-African riots on the streets of Tel Aviv and a series of attacks on African migrants.
Before Israel built its separation wall, many Palestinians worked in Israel, particularly in the construction sector.
Israel's socio-economic cabinet approved the motion, which was filed by Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz. Some 10,000 entry visas have been granted to Palestinians in recent months, Ynet reported.
In June, Israel launched a mass deportation drive to expel thousands African migrants, who had been a source of cheap labor in Israel. Netanyahu's government said the migrants were job-seekers who threatened the Jewish character of Israel.
The deportation drive followed violent anti-African riots on the streets of Tel Aviv and a series of attacks on African migrants.
Before Israel built its separation wall, many Palestinians worked in Israel, particularly in the construction sector.
26 sept 2012
Qatari delegation in Gaza to initiate vital projects
Head of the Qatari delegation to the Gaza Strip Mohamed Al-Emadi said his country would start to carry out several projects in the context of its efforts to reconstruct Gaza.
Emadi stated following his meeting with Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya that the reconstruction projects are worth 254 million dollars to be carried out over three years.
Emadi, the envoy of the Qatari prince, had arrived in the Strip on Tuesday to initiate the Qatari reconstruction initiative.
The delegation intends to stay for 10 days in Gaza to meet with Palestinian ministers and officials and visit different areas in which the projects will be established.
The delegation also will open the Qatar executive office for the management of these projects.
Emadi stated following his meeting with Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya that the reconstruction projects are worth 254 million dollars to be carried out over three years.
Emadi, the envoy of the Qatari prince, had arrived in the Strip on Tuesday to initiate the Qatari reconstruction initiative.
The delegation intends to stay for 10 days in Gaza to meet with Palestinian ministers and officials and visit different areas in which the projects will be established.
The delegation also will open the Qatar executive office for the management of these projects.
25 sept 2012
Qatar pledges millions in aid for Gaza rebuilding
Qatar is planning to provide half a billion dollars in assistance to the Gaza Strip over the coming three years to rebuild infrastructure destroyed in Israeli attacks.
In a visit to the enclave Tuesday, Qatari ambassador Muhammad al-Imadi said the Gulf country's emir created a special committee to distribute some $450 million for infrastructure, development and education projects.
The committee has already started consultations with Palestinian officials, he said.
Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minister of the Hamas-led government in Gaza, thanked Qatar for its position on the 2008-2009 Cast Lead operation and against the blockade.
He also applauded Qatar's efforts to reconstruct buildings destroyed in the assault. "Qatar has always been the first country in supporting the Palestinian cause," he said.
Haniyeh also said that the projects would provide thousands of job opportunities, and he promised to provide all the needed facilities to implement these projects.
During Cast Lead some 3,500 homes were completely destroyed, UN agencies say.
Rebuilding efforts have been hampered by Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has limited the import of construction materials.
In a visit to the enclave Tuesday, Qatari ambassador Muhammad al-Imadi said the Gulf country's emir created a special committee to distribute some $450 million for infrastructure, development and education projects.
The committee has already started consultations with Palestinian officials, he said.
Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minister of the Hamas-led government in Gaza, thanked Qatar for its position on the 2008-2009 Cast Lead operation and against the blockade.
He also applauded Qatar's efforts to reconstruct buildings destroyed in the assault. "Qatar has always been the first country in supporting the Palestinian cause," he said.
Haniyeh also said that the projects would provide thousands of job opportunities, and he promised to provide all the needed facilities to implement these projects.
During Cast Lead some 3,500 homes were completely destroyed, UN agencies say.
Rebuilding efforts have been hampered by Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has limited the import of construction materials.
PA: World must act to lift economic barriers
The Palestinian Authority on Tuesday called on the international community to compel Israel to ease obstacles restricting the Palestinian economy.
At a weekly cabinet meeting headed by Salam Fayyad in Ramallah, ministers said Israeli obstacles undermined the Palestinian people and its PA's achievements, particularly its efforts to build institutions.
The cabinet welcomed the adoption by international donors of the recommendations presented by the PA in New York, but said the continuation of the status quo undermined state-building.
The PA recommendations included a report on its vision of what needs to be done economically and developmentally to protect and strengthen the PA and the economy.
In a statement, the cabinet welcomed the reports of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the UN, and emphasized the "need to translate their contents into tangible actions that ensures ending all Israeli violations and obstacles against our people and their National Authority."
It added: "The Cabinet also commended the donors’ consensus to adopt the reports’ conclusions that reaffirm the readiness of the National Authority to establish the independent State of Palestine.
At a weekly cabinet meeting headed by Salam Fayyad in Ramallah, ministers said Israeli obstacles undermined the Palestinian people and its PA's achievements, particularly its efforts to build institutions.
The cabinet welcomed the adoption by international donors of the recommendations presented by the PA in New York, but said the continuation of the status quo undermined state-building.
The PA recommendations included a report on its vision of what needs to be done economically and developmentally to protect and strengthen the PA and the economy.
In a statement, the cabinet welcomed the reports of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the UN, and emphasized the "need to translate their contents into tangible actions that ensures ending all Israeli violations and obstacles against our people and their National Authority."
It added: "The Cabinet also commended the donors’ consensus to adopt the reports’ conclusions that reaffirm the readiness of the National Authority to establish the independent State of Palestine.
Gaza’s Impoverishment Leading to Desperation
Climbing the walls to smuggle food into the Warsaw Ghetto
On Tuesday 25th September, Oxfam said in a press release that the self-immolation of 18-year-old Ihab Abu Nader at the end of August shocked the Gaza Strip, now in its sixth year under Israeli blockade, shedding light once again on the poverty aggravated by the protracted closure.
The teenage refugee from the impoverished Al Shaati refugee camp set himself on fire, reportedly after a long period unable to find a job. Ihab was just one of thousands currently making up 38 per cent of Gaza's unemployed population and for whom the prospects of finding a job remain extremely bleak. Up to 80 per cent of Gaza's 1.6 million population is dependent on some form of humanitarian aid since the closure forced thousands out of a job in Israel or in the local exporting industries. Nearly 30 per cent of Gaza's businesses had to close down and another 15 per cent laid off 80 per cent of their staff.
"One can only imagine what the blockade means for the young people in Gaza who want to live like so many others elsewhere in the world, furthering their education and finding decent work that can help them build a future for themselves and their families," said the head of Oxfam's Gaza office, Sara Almer. "Young people in Gaza are not even allowed to study in the West Bank, their own country, because the government of Israel bans most movement of people and essential materials out of the Gaza Strip. The people we work with here are extremely resourceful and resilient, they want jobs, not to depend on humanitarian aid."
In a bid to help Gaza's economic recovery, Oxfam, together with local partners, has embarked on a three-year development project funded by the Danish government in the IT, agriculture and food processing sectors.
On Tuesday 25th September, Oxfam said in a press release that the self-immolation of 18-year-old Ihab Abu Nader at the end of August shocked the Gaza Strip, now in its sixth year under Israeli blockade, shedding light once again on the poverty aggravated by the protracted closure.
The teenage refugee from the impoverished Al Shaati refugee camp set himself on fire, reportedly after a long period unable to find a job. Ihab was just one of thousands currently making up 38 per cent of Gaza's unemployed population and for whom the prospects of finding a job remain extremely bleak. Up to 80 per cent of Gaza's 1.6 million population is dependent on some form of humanitarian aid since the closure forced thousands out of a job in Israel or in the local exporting industries. Nearly 30 per cent of Gaza's businesses had to close down and another 15 per cent laid off 80 per cent of their staff.
"One can only imagine what the blockade means for the young people in Gaza who want to live like so many others elsewhere in the world, furthering their education and finding decent work that can help them build a future for themselves and their families," said the head of Oxfam's Gaza office, Sara Almer. "Young people in Gaza are not even allowed to study in the West Bank, their own country, because the government of Israel bans most movement of people and essential materials out of the Gaza Strip. The people we work with here are extremely resourceful and resilient, they want jobs, not to depend on humanitarian aid."
In a bid to help Gaza's economic recovery, Oxfam, together with local partners, has embarked on a three-year development project funded by the Danish government in the IT, agriculture and food processing sectors.
Dismissed employees warn Fayyad's government of staging an open sit-in
A number of employees, dismissed from their jobs on political grounds, staged yesterday a sit-in in front of Council of Ministers of Ramallah government to demand the implementation of Supreme Court's decision to let them immediately return to their jobs.
Among the participants in the sit-in were three teachers; Ahmed Wahdan who has launched on Sunday an open-ended hunger strike, Marwan al-Aqra and Ummar Mayadma.
The protestors had informed the government about their intention to begin a continuous sit-in and an open-ended hunger strike. Yet, after they received documented promises from Ramallah "government" to meet their demands, they decided to suspend their protest for a week to give the government the opportunity to implement the court's decision and let them return to their jobs.
The Palestinian Supreme Court had issued a judicial ruling on Tuesday September 4, 2012 considering Fayyad government's decisions to dismiss the employees for political reasons illegal and void and ordered the government to reinstate them. However, Fayyad government ignored the Court's decision.
The number of employees dismissed from their governmental jobs for reasons related to their political affiliation is estimated at thousands, including nearly 800 school teachers.
Among the participants in the sit-in were three teachers; Ahmed Wahdan who has launched on Sunday an open-ended hunger strike, Marwan al-Aqra and Ummar Mayadma.
The protestors had informed the government about their intention to begin a continuous sit-in and an open-ended hunger strike. Yet, after they received documented promises from Ramallah "government" to meet their demands, they decided to suspend their protest for a week to give the government the opportunity to implement the court's decision and let them return to their jobs.
The Palestinian Supreme Court had issued a judicial ruling on Tuesday September 4, 2012 considering Fayyad government's decisions to dismiss the employees for political reasons illegal and void and ordered the government to reinstate them. However, Fayyad government ignored the Court's decision.
The number of employees dismissed from their governmental jobs for reasons related to their political affiliation is estimated at thousands, including nearly 800 school teachers.
Statistics: USD 793.6 Million is the Deficit in Current Account of Palestinian Balance of Payments
On Monday 24th September, Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) and Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) announced in a press release, the preliminary results of the Palestinian Balance of Payments in the Second Quarter 2012
The Balance of Payments (BOP) is an account measuring transactions between residents and non-residents in a given period. It is considered to be the peak of efforts in preparing systematic economic statistics that are necessary for observing economic performance in general and for deriving essential data used in compiling the Rest of the World Account as part of the Palestinian National Accounts. BoP consists of two main accounts, the Current Account and the Capital and Financial Account.
The main findings of the preliminary results of BoP for the second quarter of 2012 are including:
The incessant deficit of the Current Account amounted to USD 793.6 million (29.5 percent of the GDP at current prices for the 2nd quarter of 2012) with an increase of 4.0 percent compared to the 2nd quarter 2011. The deficit of Current Account was caused mainly by the deficit in the Trade Balance of goods which was USD 1,237.5 million (46.0 percent of the GDP at current prices) with an increase of 4.0 percent compared to the 2nd quarter 2011.
The deficit in Services Balance amounted to USD 90.9 million with an increase of 20.9 percent compared to the 2nd quarter 2011. The increase in this deficit was caused by the shrink of the exports in transportation services in addition to the increase of the imports in personal and cultural services and government services.
The surplus in Income Balance (compensations of employees and investments income) amounted to USD 278.0 million with an increase of 0.9 percent compared to the 2nd quarter 2011, this surplus was due to surplus in Compensations of Employees working in Israel that reached USD 251.2 million. While, the received investments income amounted to USD 30.2 million, mainly caused by the interest received on the Palestinian deposits in banks abroad.
According to the Current Transfers, the surplus value amounted to USD 256.8 million with an increase of 21.4 percent compared to the 2nd quarter 2011. The donors' current transfers was 32.7 percent of total value of receipts from abroad.
The surplus value of Capital and Financial Account amounted to USD 875.2 million, mainly caused by the surplus in Financial Account amounted to USD 804.1 million (Direct Investments, Portfolio Investments, Other Investments, and Reserve Assets).
The changes on Reserve Assets flow (increase) amounted to USD 19.7 million in PMA, which are reflected in the Overall Balance surplus in the Palestinian case due to the absence of other financing resources.
The Balance of Payments (BOP) is an account measuring transactions between residents and non-residents in a given period. It is considered to be the peak of efforts in preparing systematic economic statistics that are necessary for observing economic performance in general and for deriving essential data used in compiling the Rest of the World Account as part of the Palestinian National Accounts. BoP consists of two main accounts, the Current Account and the Capital and Financial Account.
The main findings of the preliminary results of BoP for the second quarter of 2012 are including:
The incessant deficit of the Current Account amounted to USD 793.6 million (29.5 percent of the GDP at current prices for the 2nd quarter of 2012) with an increase of 4.0 percent compared to the 2nd quarter 2011. The deficit of Current Account was caused mainly by the deficit in the Trade Balance of goods which was USD 1,237.5 million (46.0 percent of the GDP at current prices) with an increase of 4.0 percent compared to the 2nd quarter 2011.
The deficit in Services Balance amounted to USD 90.9 million with an increase of 20.9 percent compared to the 2nd quarter 2011. The increase in this deficit was caused by the shrink of the exports in transportation services in addition to the increase of the imports in personal and cultural services and government services.
The surplus in Income Balance (compensations of employees and investments income) amounted to USD 278.0 million with an increase of 0.9 percent compared to the 2nd quarter 2011, this surplus was due to surplus in Compensations of Employees working in Israel that reached USD 251.2 million. While, the received investments income amounted to USD 30.2 million, mainly caused by the interest received on the Palestinian deposits in banks abroad.
According to the Current Transfers, the surplus value amounted to USD 256.8 million with an increase of 21.4 percent compared to the 2nd quarter 2011. The donors' current transfers was 32.7 percent of total value of receipts from abroad.
The surplus value of Capital and Financial Account amounted to USD 875.2 million, mainly caused by the surplus in Financial Account amounted to USD 804.1 million (Direct Investments, Portfolio Investments, Other Investments, and Reserve Assets).
The changes on Reserve Assets flow (increase) amounted to USD 19.7 million in PMA, which are reflected in the Overall Balance surplus in the Palestinian case due to the absence of other financing resources.
Palestinians Demand Oslo Cancelled
by Khaled Amayreh
As Israel and the US jump to shore up the Palestinian Authority, many — if not most — Palestinians are ready to see it collapse
As protests continue throughout the occupied territories against the high cost of living, growing numbers of Palestinians are openly demanding the cancellation of the Oslo Accords.
Signed between the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Israel in August 1993, the accords allowed for the creation of the autonomous Palestinian Authority (PA) under the Israeli military occupation. The Palestinians hoped the accords would eventually liberate them from Israeli domination and lead to the creation of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Israel, however, adopted a policy of procrastination and equivocation, embarking on an intensive campaign of building and expanding Jewish colonies, which experts say has effectively killed any realistic prospects for the establishment of a viable and territorially contiguous Palestinian entity in the West Bank.
In the past two weeks, tens of thousands of Palestinians, from all backgrounds and political orientations, took to the streets to protest the severest economic crisis to hit the occupied territories since the Israeli occupation in 1967.
Protesters demonstrated against absurdly high prices, especially of foodstuffs, along with fuel and the high costs of education. They also demanded pay raises to augment their meagre and dwindling wages.
Some unruly protesters assaulted policemen and damaged public property, generating widespread dismay among the general public, which the PA utilised in a concentrated PR campaign to discredit what looked like an uprising against both Israel and the PA regime.
At one point, the PA seemed to have succeeded in pacifying the protests, with the PA police exercising self-restraint and refraining from using live ammunition against demonstrators.
In Hebron, hundreds of policemen allowed thousands of protesters to "vent their frustration", reportedly contrary to instructions from security chiefs in Ramallah.
The result of this wise approach by the governor of Hebron, Kamel Hemid, was that not a single protester was injured.
In a meeting with reporters in Governorate Hall in Hebron earlier this week, Hemid accused "fifth columnists" of incitement and attacking the police and vandalising public property.
Hemid said Israel didn't want to destroy or cause the collapse of the PA. "They only want to weaken the PA to a certain point which would force it to surrender to Israeli diktat and conditions."
Hemid's analysis seemed quite logical. This week, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu ordered the transfer of some $63 million to the PA to "help ease its economic crisis". The decision to transfer the money came after Netanyahu consulted on the issue with Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz.
The Israeli government said the money was an advance on tax revenues collected for the PA by Israel.
"We are working on several fronts in order to help the PA cope with its economic problems," Netanyahu said earlier during a meeting with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
"We have made several changes in the taxation agreements. We are advancing certain transfers. We have also helped with Palestinian workers and with a series of other steps in order to make things easier for them.
"Of course, there is a global reality and it is also related to the internal management of every economy, but for our part we are making efforts to help the Palestinian Authority survive this crisis. I hope that they will succeed in doing so; this is in our common interest."
Netanyahu added that no rational Israeli leader would want to see the collapse of the Palestinian economy, which would mean the expansion of Iranian influence to Israel's underbelly and the recurrence of what happened in Gaza in the West Bank — an allusion to Hamas's control of the coastal enclave.
The United States seems to have hastened coming to the rescue of the PA. The State Department said this week it was working with Congress to release some $200 million in funds to help the PA through its crippling financial crisis.
"You know that we feel strongly that this money needs to move. We are working with Congress on that," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
In April, President Barack Obama signed a waiver to remove curbs on funding to the Palestinian Authority, declaring the aid to be "important to the security interests of the United States."
Nonetheless, most Palestinians, including some PA officials, realise that the American aid and the Israeli payment of Palestinian tax revenue are no more than a temporary stopgap with a short-lasting effect and that radical solutions have to be found.
The issue is far from academic. Protests in various parts of the West Bank have already resumed, demanding a radical solution, something that is clearly beyond the ability of the PA since the problem is political and is inextricably entwined with the Israeli occupation.
With no light at the end of the tunnel, Palestinian labour unions have already started open-ended strikes, covering schools, hospitals and other public services.
The PA leadership, which has been making desperate statements as well as enigmatic signals as to its plans in case political efforts reach deadlock, is hoping that the deterioration of the crisis forces donor countries to come to the rescue.
The PA is probably correct in its political calculations, since keeping conditions in the occupied territories under control (ie preventing a serious conflagration) is of paramount international interest.
However, it is also true that replenishing the PA's coffers will not be motivated by altruistic considerations, irrespective of rhetorical PA claims about Palestinian free will and sovereign decisions.
In the final analysis, there is no such a thing as a free lunch. Hence, the Palestinians would have to make political concessions in exchange for helping the PA remain afloat and "relevant".
This week, two Palestinian leaders called for the cancellation of the Oslo Accords and the two-state solution strategy.
The first was Ahmed Qurei, the elderly Oslo-era Fatah leader, who argued that the Palestinians should now adopt the one-state strategy since the establishment of a real Palestinian state has become next to impossible in light of the phenomenal expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Interestingly, Qurei's remarks coincided with an Israeli decision to transform some 40 military camps in the West Bank into settlements.
The other Palestinian leader calling for the end of Oslo is Mustafa Barghouthi, who argued that clinging to the accords was a recipe for national suicide.
The accords, said Barghouthi, were "a political, economic and moral disaster for our people and our national cause".
Many — and probably most — Palestinians agree with Barghouthi's prognosis. However, many are also not sure whether it is possible to turn the clock back to the pre-Oslo era by a mere strike of a pen, or a declaration from the PLO leadership.
As Israel and the US jump to shore up the Palestinian Authority, many — if not most — Palestinians are ready to see it collapse
As protests continue throughout the occupied territories against the high cost of living, growing numbers of Palestinians are openly demanding the cancellation of the Oslo Accords.
Signed between the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Israel in August 1993, the accords allowed for the creation of the autonomous Palestinian Authority (PA) under the Israeli military occupation. The Palestinians hoped the accords would eventually liberate them from Israeli domination and lead to the creation of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Israel, however, adopted a policy of procrastination and equivocation, embarking on an intensive campaign of building and expanding Jewish colonies, which experts say has effectively killed any realistic prospects for the establishment of a viable and territorially contiguous Palestinian entity in the West Bank.
In the past two weeks, tens of thousands of Palestinians, from all backgrounds and political orientations, took to the streets to protest the severest economic crisis to hit the occupied territories since the Israeli occupation in 1967.
Protesters demonstrated against absurdly high prices, especially of foodstuffs, along with fuel and the high costs of education. They also demanded pay raises to augment their meagre and dwindling wages.
Some unruly protesters assaulted policemen and damaged public property, generating widespread dismay among the general public, which the PA utilised in a concentrated PR campaign to discredit what looked like an uprising against both Israel and the PA regime.
At one point, the PA seemed to have succeeded in pacifying the protests, with the PA police exercising self-restraint and refraining from using live ammunition against demonstrators.
In Hebron, hundreds of policemen allowed thousands of protesters to "vent their frustration", reportedly contrary to instructions from security chiefs in Ramallah.
The result of this wise approach by the governor of Hebron, Kamel Hemid, was that not a single protester was injured.
In a meeting with reporters in Governorate Hall in Hebron earlier this week, Hemid accused "fifth columnists" of incitement and attacking the police and vandalising public property.
Hemid said Israel didn't want to destroy or cause the collapse of the PA. "They only want to weaken the PA to a certain point which would force it to surrender to Israeli diktat and conditions."
Hemid's analysis seemed quite logical. This week, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu ordered the transfer of some $63 million to the PA to "help ease its economic crisis". The decision to transfer the money came after Netanyahu consulted on the issue with Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz.
The Israeli government said the money was an advance on tax revenues collected for the PA by Israel.
"We are working on several fronts in order to help the PA cope with its economic problems," Netanyahu said earlier during a meeting with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
"We have made several changes in the taxation agreements. We are advancing certain transfers. We have also helped with Palestinian workers and with a series of other steps in order to make things easier for them.
"Of course, there is a global reality and it is also related to the internal management of every economy, but for our part we are making efforts to help the Palestinian Authority survive this crisis. I hope that they will succeed in doing so; this is in our common interest."
Netanyahu added that no rational Israeli leader would want to see the collapse of the Palestinian economy, which would mean the expansion of Iranian influence to Israel's underbelly and the recurrence of what happened in Gaza in the West Bank — an allusion to Hamas's control of the coastal enclave.
The United States seems to have hastened coming to the rescue of the PA. The State Department said this week it was working with Congress to release some $200 million in funds to help the PA through its crippling financial crisis.
"You know that we feel strongly that this money needs to move. We are working with Congress on that," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.
In April, President Barack Obama signed a waiver to remove curbs on funding to the Palestinian Authority, declaring the aid to be "important to the security interests of the United States."
Nonetheless, most Palestinians, including some PA officials, realise that the American aid and the Israeli payment of Palestinian tax revenue are no more than a temporary stopgap with a short-lasting effect and that radical solutions have to be found.
The issue is far from academic. Protests in various parts of the West Bank have already resumed, demanding a radical solution, something that is clearly beyond the ability of the PA since the problem is political and is inextricably entwined with the Israeli occupation.
With no light at the end of the tunnel, Palestinian labour unions have already started open-ended strikes, covering schools, hospitals and other public services.
The PA leadership, which has been making desperate statements as well as enigmatic signals as to its plans in case political efforts reach deadlock, is hoping that the deterioration of the crisis forces donor countries to come to the rescue.
The PA is probably correct in its political calculations, since keeping conditions in the occupied territories under control (ie preventing a serious conflagration) is of paramount international interest.
However, it is also true that replenishing the PA's coffers will not be motivated by altruistic considerations, irrespective of rhetorical PA claims about Palestinian free will and sovereign decisions.
In the final analysis, there is no such a thing as a free lunch. Hence, the Palestinians would have to make political concessions in exchange for helping the PA remain afloat and "relevant".
This week, two Palestinian leaders called for the cancellation of the Oslo Accords and the two-state solution strategy.
The first was Ahmed Qurei, the elderly Oslo-era Fatah leader, who argued that the Palestinians should now adopt the one-state strategy since the establishment of a real Palestinian state has become next to impossible in light of the phenomenal expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Interestingly, Qurei's remarks coincided with an Israeli decision to transform some 40 military camps in the West Bank into settlements.
The other Palestinian leader calling for the end of Oslo is Mustafa Barghouthi, who argued that clinging to the accords was a recipe for national suicide.
The accords, said Barghouthi, were "a political, economic and moral disaster for our people and our national cause".
Many — and probably most — Palestinians agree with Barghouthi's prognosis. However, many are also not sure whether it is possible to turn the clock back to the pre-Oslo era by a mere strike of a pen, or a declaration from the PLO leadership.
Ashton Urges Donors to Help PA
The spokesperson of Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, said in a statement that High Representative Catherine Ashton participated in the meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee for Palestine (AHLC) on Sunday 23rd September, in New York and also took part in the meeting of the AHLC Chair (Norway) with the representatives of the donor community Monday 24th September.
He said that at both meetings the High Representative reaffirmed the EU's position on the need to move urgently towards the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in the interest of stability, prosperity, lasting peace and security in the region. She stressed that the achievements in building Palestinian state institutions as well as the economic viability of the Palestinian Authority are crucial in this context.
He concluded, the High Representative called upon all donors to step in and help the PA. She stressed the importance of moving forward on all political issues, addressing the dire economic situation, and security issues of concern to both parties.
He said that at both meetings the High Representative reaffirmed the EU's position on the need to move urgently towards the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in the interest of stability, prosperity, lasting peace and security in the region. She stressed that the achievements in building Palestinian state institutions as well as the economic viability of the Palestinian Authority are crucial in this context.
He concluded, the High Representative called upon all donors to step in and help the PA. She stressed the importance of moving forward on all political issues, addressing the dire economic situation, and security issues of concern to both parties.
24 sept 2012
Ayalon Calls Donor States to Stop Aid to PA
On Monday 24th September, Israeli deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, called donor states to stop transferring financial aid to the Palestinian National Authority, saying that the PA transfers part of the money to Hamas government in Gaza, which supports terrorists and their family members - as he claims.
Ayalon has warned in the Donor Countries conference that was held in New York, that Israel will stop helping the Palestinian economy if the PA continued to support terrorism and take bilateral steps in the international arena.
Ayalon has warned in the Donor Countries conference that was held in New York, that Israel will stop helping the Palestinian economy if the PA continued to support terrorism and take bilateral steps in the international arena.
Finance minister tells donor conference: Peace at risk
The Palestinian Authority finance minister warned on Sunday that if the government's fragile financial situation persists, the peace process between Israel and Palestinians is at risk.
Nabil Kassis was addressing a meeting of donors to the PA, the Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee, in New York.
The Palestinian Authority says that shortfalls in foreign aid pledges are compounding its financial crisis. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund both urged immediate donor action in their reports to the meeting, as well as the lifting of Israeli restrictions which harm economic growth.
Kassis told the meeting that financial problems would undermine the sustainability of a Palestinian government, social cohesion and a sense of security in Palestine. Recent weeks saw mass strikes and rallies across the West Bank protesting the rising cost of living, that increasingly focused on criticism of the government.
"No doubt, if the status quo is allowed to persist, it will have dire consequences to the international enterprise of peace making in the Middle East," Kassis said.
He stressed that Israel's stranglehold on the 60 percent of the West Bank designated 'Area C' in the Oslo Accords blocks any possibility to implement economic development.
"The greater part of Palestinian lands is being gradually emptied of its Palestinian inhabitants in order to provide room for more colonization by Israel," he said.
"Israeli restrictive measures which bar freedom of movement and access to all Palestinian areas, including East Jerusalem, are still preventing Palestinians from realizing their full development potential," the minister continued.
"Continued financial support by the donor community, combined with sustained efforts by the PNA and necessarily augmented with tangible roll-back of Israeli occupation, is the only way out of the fiscal crisis."
The meeting of 27 donor nations, global financial institutions, and the Quartet of Mideast peace negotiators was also attended by Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon and the head of the IDF's defense department in charge of West Bank civil affairs.
The Israeli officials outlined steps they have taken to ease restriction on the Palestinian economy, including advancing tax revenues in collects on the PA's behalf, increasing permits for Palestinians to work inside Israel, and pledging to ease import and export restrictions on the Gaza Strip, Israeli daily Haaretz reported.
But Ayalon warned "the more the Authority uses this assistance for funding terror, and continues the unilateral steps, the more this cooperation is in danger," settler news site Arutz Sheva reported.
Nabil Kassis was addressing a meeting of donors to the PA, the Ad-Hoc Liaison Committee, in New York.
The Palestinian Authority says that shortfalls in foreign aid pledges are compounding its financial crisis. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund both urged immediate donor action in their reports to the meeting, as well as the lifting of Israeli restrictions which harm economic growth.
Kassis told the meeting that financial problems would undermine the sustainability of a Palestinian government, social cohesion and a sense of security in Palestine. Recent weeks saw mass strikes and rallies across the West Bank protesting the rising cost of living, that increasingly focused on criticism of the government.
"No doubt, if the status quo is allowed to persist, it will have dire consequences to the international enterprise of peace making in the Middle East," Kassis said.
He stressed that Israel's stranglehold on the 60 percent of the West Bank designated 'Area C' in the Oslo Accords blocks any possibility to implement economic development.
"The greater part of Palestinian lands is being gradually emptied of its Palestinian inhabitants in order to provide room for more colonization by Israel," he said.
"Israeli restrictive measures which bar freedom of movement and access to all Palestinian areas, including East Jerusalem, are still preventing Palestinians from realizing their full development potential," the minister continued.
"Continued financial support by the donor community, combined with sustained efforts by the PNA and necessarily augmented with tangible roll-back of Israeli occupation, is the only way out of the fiscal crisis."
The meeting of 27 donor nations, global financial institutions, and the Quartet of Mideast peace negotiators was also attended by Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon and the head of the IDF's defense department in charge of West Bank civil affairs.
The Israeli officials outlined steps they have taken to ease restriction on the Palestinian economy, including advancing tax revenues in collects on the PA's behalf, increasing permits for Palestinians to work inside Israel, and pledging to ease import and export restrictions on the Gaza Strip, Israeli daily Haaretz reported.
But Ayalon warned "the more the Authority uses this assistance for funding terror, and continues the unilateral steps, the more this cooperation is in danger," settler news site Arutz Sheva reported.
23 sept 2012
PA, Israel discuss developing gas off Gaza coast
By Dan Williams
The Palestinian Authority is negotiating with Israel for permission to develop natural gas off the coast of the Gaza Strip, Israeli and foreign diplomats said on Sunday.
Mediterranean gas could be a windfall for the PA, which operates under Israeli occupation in the West Bank and has alarmed the World Bank by sinking into fiscal crises amid shortfalls in international aid.
As envisaged in the exploratory gas talks initiated by peace envoy Tony Blair, the PA would alone levy tariffs on any eventual revenues from private pumping in Gazan waters, though breakaway Hamas Islamists govern the coastal enclave.
Israel, which keeps Gaza under a close maritime blockade, said it had held "initial negotiations" with the PA, and at its behest, about the Palestinian gas.
"Development of the Gaza Marine gas field will generate revenues that could contribute dramatically to Palestinian fiscal sustainability," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a report, published on Sunday, to world powers coordinating economic aid for the Palestinians.
PA officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Blair's spokeswoman Ruti Winterstein said he secured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's approval in February for the negotiations and they had taken place over recent weeks.
"The (gas) field itself will take around three or four years to develop," she said, adding talks were at a preliminary stage.
Two private partners, Consolidated Contractors Company and BG Group, would develop the gas field "and hand over the royalties and the taxes to the PA under the supervision of Prime Minister Fayyad," Winterstein said.
Crying foul
Hamas, which won a Palestinian election in 2006 and sat in an uncomfortable alliance with President Mahmoud Abbas's secular Fatah faction until they fought a civil war a year later, cried foul at the gas plans.
"We do not recognize any agreement reached by the Palestinian Authority regarding the gas fields off Gaza's shores, and the government in Gaza should be consulted over any agreement of this kind," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.
Blair, a former British prime minister, represents the so-called Quartet of Middle East peace brokers - the United States, European Union, Russia and United Nations.
Israel has been vigorously developing its own Mediterranean gas fields in a hope for energy independence partly spurred by political instability and pipeline sabotage in neighboring Egypt, which once supplied 40 percent of its gas.
The Palestinian Authority is negotiating with Israel for permission to develop natural gas off the coast of the Gaza Strip, Israeli and foreign diplomats said on Sunday.
Mediterranean gas could be a windfall for the PA, which operates under Israeli occupation in the West Bank and has alarmed the World Bank by sinking into fiscal crises amid shortfalls in international aid.
As envisaged in the exploratory gas talks initiated by peace envoy Tony Blair, the PA would alone levy tariffs on any eventual revenues from private pumping in Gazan waters, though breakaway Hamas Islamists govern the coastal enclave.
Israel, which keeps Gaza under a close maritime blockade, said it had held "initial negotiations" with the PA, and at its behest, about the Palestinian gas.
"Development of the Gaza Marine gas field will generate revenues that could contribute dramatically to Palestinian fiscal sustainability," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a report, published on Sunday, to world powers coordinating economic aid for the Palestinians.
PA officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Blair's spokeswoman Ruti Winterstein said he secured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's approval in February for the negotiations and they had taken place over recent weeks.
"The (gas) field itself will take around three or four years to develop," she said, adding talks were at a preliminary stage.
Two private partners, Consolidated Contractors Company and BG Group, would develop the gas field "and hand over the royalties and the taxes to the PA under the supervision of Prime Minister Fayyad," Winterstein said.
Crying foul
Hamas, which won a Palestinian election in 2006 and sat in an uncomfortable alliance with President Mahmoud Abbas's secular Fatah faction until they fought a civil war a year later, cried foul at the gas plans.
"We do not recognize any agreement reached by the Palestinian Authority regarding the gas fields off Gaza's shores, and the government in Gaza should be consulted over any agreement of this kind," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri.
Blair, a former British prime minister, represents the so-called Quartet of Middle East peace brokers - the United States, European Union, Russia and United Nations.
Israel has been vigorously developing its own Mediterranean gas fields in a hope for energy independence partly spurred by political instability and pipeline sabotage in neighboring Egypt, which once supplied 40 percent of its gas.
PA threatens to sue union over transport strikes
The Palestinian Authority will go to the Supreme Court of Justice if the public transport workers union proceeds with strikes this week, a Palestinian minister said on Sunday.
The union has confirmed it will proceed with planned strikes this week after it was not satisfied by the government's response to their demands.
Workers will go on strike Monday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and all day Wednesday.
Minister of transportation Ali Zeidan Abu Zuhri told Ma’an on Sunday night that the government would file a complaint to the Supreme Court of Justice on Monday morning against the transport union if the union insists on striking.
He said the strike was illegal as under Palestinian law unions, only have the right to strike if the government "refuses to discuss the case."
"The government has already asked the union of transport workers to sit and address the crisis. The cabinet has already studied a number of their demands and formed committees to work on these demands," Abu Zuhri said.
The minister said it would be unacceptable for the union to strike just one day before President Mahmoud Abbas delivers a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, outlining his bid for Palestine to be a non-member state.
But the union leader in northern West Bank city Tulkarem, Muhammad Yasin, accused the Palestinian Authority of procrastination.
"By forming committees to study the union’s demands, the government is trying to waste time," he told Ma'an.
A series of public transport strikes ground the West Bank to a halt several times in September, amid wider demonstrations protesting the rising cost of living.
Transport union confirms strikes to go ahead
The transport workers union on Sunday confirmed it was proceeding with strikes this week after it was not satisfied by the government's response to their demands.
Transport workers will strike on Monday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and all day Wednesday.
The union director told Ma'an this week that they are asking the government to limit the price of diesel to 5.5 shekels ($1.4) per liter, to exempt transport workers from income tax, and lower VAT to seven percent.
Meanwhile, the union of Palestinian universities reiterated that they would not hold strikes this week, as they had put off protest action for one month in order to give talks with education officials a chance.
A series of public transport strikes ground the West Bank to a halt several times in September, amid wider demonstrations protesting the rising cost of living.
The International Monetary Fund and World Bank both issued reports this week warning of serious risks to the Palestinian economy.
The union has confirmed it will proceed with planned strikes this week after it was not satisfied by the government's response to their demands.
Workers will go on strike Monday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and all day Wednesday.
Minister of transportation Ali Zeidan Abu Zuhri told Ma’an on Sunday night that the government would file a complaint to the Supreme Court of Justice on Monday morning against the transport union if the union insists on striking.
He said the strike was illegal as under Palestinian law unions, only have the right to strike if the government "refuses to discuss the case."
"The government has already asked the union of transport workers to sit and address the crisis. The cabinet has already studied a number of their demands and formed committees to work on these demands," Abu Zuhri said.
The minister said it would be unacceptable for the union to strike just one day before President Mahmoud Abbas delivers a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, outlining his bid for Palestine to be a non-member state.
But the union leader in northern West Bank city Tulkarem, Muhammad Yasin, accused the Palestinian Authority of procrastination.
"By forming committees to study the union’s demands, the government is trying to waste time," he told Ma'an.
A series of public transport strikes ground the West Bank to a halt several times in September, amid wider demonstrations protesting the rising cost of living.
Transport union confirms strikes to go ahead
The transport workers union on Sunday confirmed it was proceeding with strikes this week after it was not satisfied by the government's response to their demands.
Transport workers will strike on Monday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and all day Wednesday.
The union director told Ma'an this week that they are asking the government to limit the price of diesel to 5.5 shekels ($1.4) per liter, to exempt transport workers from income tax, and lower VAT to seven percent.
Meanwhile, the union of Palestinian universities reiterated that they would not hold strikes this week, as they had put off protest action for one month in order to give talks with education officials a chance.
A series of public transport strikes ground the West Bank to a halt several times in September, amid wider demonstrations protesting the rising cost of living.
The International Monetary Fund and World Bank both issued reports this week warning of serious risks to the Palestinian economy.
22 sept 2012
Gaza car dealers compelled to pay tax increase
The government in Gaza is enforcing a recent tax increase for car importers, the head of a car dealers association said on Saturday.
The Hamas-run government has seized more than 200 vehicles and shut down several companies to compel importers to pay the tax rise, Ismail al-Nakhaleh said.
Import taxes on foreign cars were increased from 50 to 75 percent earlier this month. Gaza transport ministry officials said revenue from the 25 percent rise would be used to pave the roads in Gaza.
Al-Nakhaleh said overall custom duties and taxes imposed on car dealers in Gaza now totals 120 to 135 per cent.
The Hamas-run government has seized more than 200 vehicles and shut down several companies to compel importers to pay the tax rise, Ismail al-Nakhaleh said.
Import taxes on foreign cars were increased from 50 to 75 percent earlier this month. Gaza transport ministry officials said revenue from the 25 percent rise would be used to pave the roads in Gaza.
Al-Nakhaleh said overall custom duties and taxes imposed on car dealers in Gaza now totals 120 to 135 per cent.
21 sept 2012
PA, Jordan in deal to export Palestinian produce
The minister concluded a 5-day visit on Thursday
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- The Jordanian minister of agriculture wrapped up a 5-day visit to Ramallah on Thursday to strengthen cooperation in the field and facilitate the transfer of goods through Jordan.
Ahmad al-Khattab met with his counterpart Walid Assaf during the visit and the two agreed to create a technical committee on agriculture marketing, exchange of goods, and research.
The visit was intended to increase the amounts of agricultural exports to and through Jordan for international markets as well as bring in more income for Palestinian farmers.
Officials called the visit an opportunity for the Jordanian minister to observe in person the damage suffered by Palestinian farmers due to the occupation and settler vandalism against agricultural infrastructure.
RAMALLAH (Ma’an) -- The Jordanian minister of agriculture wrapped up a 5-day visit to Ramallah on Thursday to strengthen cooperation in the field and facilitate the transfer of goods through Jordan.
Ahmad al-Khattab met with his counterpart Walid Assaf during the visit and the two agreed to create a technical committee on agriculture marketing, exchange of goods, and research.
The visit was intended to increase the amounts of agricultural exports to and through Jordan for international markets as well as bring in more income for Palestinian farmers.
Officials called the visit an opportunity for the Jordanian minister to observe in person the damage suffered by Palestinian farmers due to the occupation and settler vandalism against agricultural infrastructure.
Gaza to refuse import of fruit from Israel
Gaza's agriculture ministry says most fruits are available locally
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The Gaza Strip's agriculture ministry on Friday said it would not allow the import of fruits to the enclave in order to protect the local market.
The announcement came as Israel promised new measures facilitate the entry and exit of goods at Gaza crossings. Several products will be removed from a blacklist permitting their import to Gaza, an Israeli official said Thursday.
Marketing director in Gaza's agriculture ministry Tahsen al-Saqa told Ma'an that no fruits would be imported from Israel, with the exception of apples and bananas, as farmers in Gaza farmers grew their own guava, dates, citrus fruits and grapes.
Al-Saqa added that Israel had prevented the import of vegetables to Gaza for several years, and that the enclave had become self-sufficient. "We have 98 percent self-sufficiency in (producing) vegetables."
In the West Bank, a once-flourishing agriculture industry has been devastated, in part due to competition from Israeli produce, as well as Israeli control of Palestinian water resources and confiscation of agricultural land. Israeli farmers, who have greater access to water, sell their produce on Palestinian markets that farmers in Gaza cannot access.
Israel controls imports and exports into Gaza through its military blockade, while in the West Bank, Israel influences the Palestinian market through the Paris Protocol signed between Israel and the PLO. The cancellation of the Paris Protocol was a key demand of protesters who took to the streets across the West Bank earlier this month.
Exports
Israeli, regional and West Bank markets have been cut off from Gaza traders since 2007 when Israel tightened restrictions on Gaza after Hamas took control of the strip. Hamas had been democratically elected a year earlier.
Israel has allowed a limited number of trucks to export strawberries and carnations to European markets after pressure from the EU, but those account for a fraction of the exports that left the Gaza Strip prior to Israel's blockade, al-Saqa said.
Khatib Mansour, director of the Israeli army's Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza, said Thursday that Israel would permit furniture and clothes to be exported from Gaza to the West Bank.
Israel's blockade destroyed Gaza's export-dependent economy. The World Bank says the private sector will not recover until access to its traditional markets in Israel and the West Bank is restored.
In recent reports ahead of a PA donor conference this month, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and United Nations have warned of a worsening economic crisis in both the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
"We should all be concerned about Gaza’s future if there is no change to the current untenable situation," UN special envoy Robert Serry said Thursday.
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- The Gaza Strip's agriculture ministry on Friday said it would not allow the import of fruits to the enclave in order to protect the local market.
The announcement came as Israel promised new measures facilitate the entry and exit of goods at Gaza crossings. Several products will be removed from a blacklist permitting their import to Gaza, an Israeli official said Thursday.
Marketing director in Gaza's agriculture ministry Tahsen al-Saqa told Ma'an that no fruits would be imported from Israel, with the exception of apples and bananas, as farmers in Gaza farmers grew their own guava, dates, citrus fruits and grapes.
Al-Saqa added that Israel had prevented the import of vegetables to Gaza for several years, and that the enclave had become self-sufficient. "We have 98 percent self-sufficiency in (producing) vegetables."
In the West Bank, a once-flourishing agriculture industry has been devastated, in part due to competition from Israeli produce, as well as Israeli control of Palestinian water resources and confiscation of agricultural land. Israeli farmers, who have greater access to water, sell their produce on Palestinian markets that farmers in Gaza cannot access.
Israel controls imports and exports into Gaza through its military blockade, while in the West Bank, Israel influences the Palestinian market through the Paris Protocol signed between Israel and the PLO. The cancellation of the Paris Protocol was a key demand of protesters who took to the streets across the West Bank earlier this month.
Exports
Israeli, regional and West Bank markets have been cut off from Gaza traders since 2007 when Israel tightened restrictions on Gaza after Hamas took control of the strip. Hamas had been democratically elected a year earlier.
Israel has allowed a limited number of trucks to export strawberries and carnations to European markets after pressure from the EU, but those account for a fraction of the exports that left the Gaza Strip prior to Israel's blockade, al-Saqa said.
Khatib Mansour, director of the Israeli army's Coordination and Liaison Administration for Gaza, said Thursday that Israel would permit furniture and clothes to be exported from Gaza to the West Bank.
Israel's blockade destroyed Gaza's export-dependent economy. The World Bank says the private sector will not recover until access to its traditional markets in Israel and the West Bank is restored.
In recent reports ahead of a PA donor conference this month, the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and United Nations have warned of a worsening economic crisis in both the Gaza Strip and West Bank.
"We should all be concerned about Gaza’s future if there is no change to the current untenable situation," UN special envoy Robert Serry said Thursday.
Egypt hesitant to ease Gaza closure
Ismail Haniyeh met Egypt`s leaders last week in Cairo
Egypt has not made a final decision on ending the blockade of Gaza or conceding to requests by the Hamas government to create a free-trade zone in Gaza, officials say.
A source in Hamas said Friday that Egypt is concerned that if it opens the Rafah crossing, Israel will have a pretext for permanently sealing the Kerem Shalom terminal with Gaza.
Egypt is also trying to resolve a number of crises in the Sinai, and this is distracting attention from the Gaza situation, the source explained.
The Hamas government's economy minister Hisham Qandil told Ma'an that Gaza-based premier Ismail Haniyeh delivered proposals on a Rafah trade zone during his visit to Cairo.
Egyptian officials agreed to study the proposals for bringing gas and petroleum into the territory as well as the long-discussed possibility of opening a free trade zone at Rafah.
Ismail al-Hayya, a Hamas leader, told Ma'an that the Islamic movement was committed to resolving Gaza's access issues.
”The establishment of a free trade area will help us to get rid of the dependency on the occupation and its taxes,” he said, referring to Israeli customs duties.
Al-Hayya said that the Palestinian Authority should support such initiatives rather than complain about Hamas' overtures to Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood-led government.
President Mahmoud Abbas and his prime minister, Salam Fayyad, have no legitimacy according to the Palestinian constitution and Fayyad was not approved by parliament, he added.
"We want to reinforce the role of the PLO instead of being an alternative (to it)," he added.
"We as Hamas and other Palestinian parties have a right to a presence everywhere to support our people."
Egypt has not made a final decision on ending the blockade of Gaza or conceding to requests by the Hamas government to create a free-trade zone in Gaza, officials say.
A source in Hamas said Friday that Egypt is concerned that if it opens the Rafah crossing, Israel will have a pretext for permanently sealing the Kerem Shalom terminal with Gaza.
Egypt is also trying to resolve a number of crises in the Sinai, and this is distracting attention from the Gaza situation, the source explained.
The Hamas government's economy minister Hisham Qandil told Ma'an that Gaza-based premier Ismail Haniyeh delivered proposals on a Rafah trade zone during his visit to Cairo.
Egyptian officials agreed to study the proposals for bringing gas and petroleum into the territory as well as the long-discussed possibility of opening a free trade zone at Rafah.
Ismail al-Hayya, a Hamas leader, told Ma'an that the Islamic movement was committed to resolving Gaza's access issues.
”The establishment of a free trade area will help us to get rid of the dependency on the occupation and its taxes,” he said, referring to Israeli customs duties.
Al-Hayya said that the Palestinian Authority should support such initiatives rather than complain about Hamas' overtures to Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood-led government.
President Mahmoud Abbas and his prime minister, Salam Fayyad, have no legitimacy according to the Palestinian constitution and Fayyad was not approved by parliament, he added.
"We want to reinforce the role of the PLO instead of being an alternative (to it)," he added.
"We as Hamas and other Palestinian parties have a right to a presence everywhere to support our people."
Palestinian youth protest at EU office in Ramallah
Dozens of Palestinian youth gathered outside the Ramallah offices of the European mission training the Palestinian police on Friday morning, to protest Europe's policies in Palestine.
Activists chanted "We don’t want euros and dollars, we want revolution and revolutionaries," and "Europe go home, our prisoners need a final decision," a Ma'an correspondent said.
European officials tried to negotiate with protesters, but the group refused to talk to them, the correspondent noted.
Protest organizers 'Palestinians for Dignity', a group of youth activists, said they had three demands from the European Commission.
They criticized a statement by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton last week calling for Israel to "do all it can to preserve the health" of Palestinian hunger strikers in Israeli jail.
Europe should issue a clear statement demanding that Israel immediately release Palestinian detainees on hunger strike, the group insisted.
Further, they called on Europe to review partnership agreements with Israel to ensure they meet legal and humanitarian obligations, while investigating European companies that support Israel's occupation and settlement enterprise.
On Tuesday, a European Parliament committee approved the "Protocol on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products" between the European Union and Israel.
The decision, which removes trade barriers for Israeli medical products, will go before parliament in October, and is opposed by lawmakers from the main left-wing coalition.
Activists chanted "We don’t want euros and dollars, we want revolution and revolutionaries," and "Europe go home, our prisoners need a final decision," a Ma'an correspondent said.
European officials tried to negotiate with protesters, but the group refused to talk to them, the correspondent noted.
Protest organizers 'Palestinians for Dignity', a group of youth activists, said they had three demands from the European Commission.
They criticized a statement by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton last week calling for Israel to "do all it can to preserve the health" of Palestinian hunger strikers in Israeli jail.
Europe should issue a clear statement demanding that Israel immediately release Palestinian detainees on hunger strike, the group insisted.
Further, they called on Europe to review partnership agreements with Israel to ensure they meet legal and humanitarian obligations, while investigating European companies that support Israel's occupation and settlement enterprise.
On Tuesday, a European Parliament committee approved the "Protocol on Conformity Assessment and Acceptance of Industrial Products" between the European Union and Israel.
The decision, which removes trade barriers for Israeli medical products, will go before parliament in October, and is opposed by lawmakers from the main left-wing coalition.