T. Belman. “Half of Palestinians under 30 were unemployed.” This is very good news for Israel. The Deal of the Century provides for job creation and free housing in Jordan. These are the people who will emigrate to Jordan for the jobs.
Unemployment in the Palestinian territories was the highest in the world in 2017, reaching 27.4%, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development report finds • UNCTAD chief Mahmoud Elkhafif says Israeli restrictions on work permits partially to blame.
Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff
U.N. Conference on Trade And Development Coordinator of ?Assistance to the Palestinians Mahmoud Elkhafif Photo: Reuters
Palestinian citizens are trapped in an economy of jobless growth with no prospects, especially in Gaza, which is undergoing “de-development,” the United Nations trade and development agency said in an annual report published on Wednesday.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development report said unemployment in the Palestinian territories was the highest in the world in 2017, at 27.4%, while agricultural production fell by 11%. Half of Palestinians under 30 were unemployed. The economy grew 3.1% but was flat on a per capita basis.
Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Mahmoud Elkhafif, coordinator of the report, said the major reason for this situation from an economic development point of view was a set of Israeli restrictions such as permit systems for Palestinians to work in Israel.
UNCTAD Deputy Secretary General Isabelle Durant described the economic situation in Gaza as “absolutely unsustainable.”
A customs union between Israel and the Palestinian territories has isolated the Palestinian economy from the rest of the world and left it dependent on Israel, the report said.
In Gaza, where real incomes have fallen 30% since 1999 and production capacity has been hit by successive military operations, households got an average of two hours of electricity daily, and only about 10% had drinking water.
“Half of the population in Gaza is food insecure; this is despite the fact that 80% of the population gets a social assistance. That was when we were writing this report, I don’t know about now, after UNRWA cuts. The real income in Gaza is 30% below its level in 1999,” Elkhafif said.
“The major reason for this dark situation from the economic development point of view is a group or a set of Israeli restrictions that have been there, it is relaxed a bit from time to time, but again, it is the norm. These measures include: permit system for Palestinian to work in Israel, you have roadblocks in the West Bank, you have earth mounds, trenches, checkpoints, gates and separation barriers,” he noted.
“How could we consider that the situation in Gaza is sustainable?” Durant asked.
“It is absolutely unsustainable, with this kind of figures, this kind of situation regarding providing water and electricity, schools, unemployment, etc. And especially because there is no perspective. If you could develop some hope, of course it will help, or it could help regarding the perspective for the young generation, but there is no perspective so of course, the situation is, now, when I speak, absolutely desperate for many, many people.”
@ mrzee:
Yes, I agree. They were introduced to Western and Jewish Civilisation, from which they still suffer shock, AND, flush toilets and toilet paper.
I just mentioned this last from pure whimsy. When I first landed in Israel, and was standing in a street surrounded by hundreds of Jews hurrying here and there, I could hardly believe it. And what I actually marvelled at, was in a little shop window, amongst the jumble there, was toilet paper, with the brand and etc, all printed in Hebrew. It was THAT first-time-ever,sight which brought forcibly to me that I was in a Jewish State,….at last. Silly…but true.
@ Edgar G.:
The “brutal Israeli occupation” is probably the best thing that ever happened to them,
@ mrzee:
At that time they were still nearly all fellaheen, living in mud hits. In the mid 1970s when one could drive all over the whole country, I saw several families that were even living in a group of small caves they had levered out from a stony hillside.. Their poverty was abysmal. Yet they all thought that Jews were far below them, event the dirtiest, most flea-bitten serf.
I even saw them riding around perched precariously on top of tiny donkeys, whacking them with thick sticks. No love nor pity, even for animals, in an Arab.
They managed to survive for 19 years (1948-1967) without work permits, aid, electricity or water from Israel. Israel shouldn’t need to supply those things now either.
@ Edgar G.:
Your point is correct. Arabs before two intifada’s and the Oslo Accords s worked in larger numbers in Israel by far and were employed and had a better standard of living.
They are like the Scorpion who was getting across the river on the back of the frog. In the middle of river, the Scorpion stings the frog and they both start sinking and are about to drown. The Frog asks the Scorpion why did you do that, we will both drown? The Scorpion answers because I am a Scorpion.
The Gazans had 100s of jobs in the hot houses when Israel left Gaza in 2005, which were in-tact. They destroyed these hot houses stealing all the materials and turned them into terror training centers. The Arabs who were employed by the Israelis knew how to run these hot houses, were now unemployed. US Jews spent $14 million to buy 3000 hot houses which the Pals looted and destroyed immediately upon Israeli evacuation from Gaza.
So clearly the Pal-Arabs want to destroy Israel more than they ever wanted a state. They have not built institutions or substantial industries to create a functional self sustaining state.
What the Pal-Arabs have become very effective at is whining and blaming Israel for all their problems. Their supporters have jumped on the Pal Whiners bandwagon.
If they get a state in Jordan will they not end up blaming Israel for when they most likely start screwing up that state? When they allow terrorists to attack Israel and Israel responds with a heavy hand to say stop it!
There used to be many terror attacks from Jordan into Israel and also shelling in the Beit-Shan Valley by the Jordanian Army. When I got to Israel in the 70s first I went to visit a friends Kibbutz and they showed all the damage on the eastern walls of some the homes. Every home had a reinforced room to withstand the fire. I am afraid if the King goes down and the Pal-Arabs take over this will start over again. I also believe it is likely they still will want to destroy Israel. For 70 years they have been raised to believe that Israel is Palestine and it belongs to them all from the River to the Sea. This is who they are!
That they blame Israel for their economic wasteland is normal, but that they zoom in on the fact that Israel is not giving them enough work permits (so that they can work in Israel) speaks all the volumes neccessary. That in itself shows that they entirely depend on their hated enemy to sustain, clothe and feed them, without whom they will collapse.
Perhaps if many of those who got permits hadn’t taken advantage of this to smuggle weapons and explosives in, and also to go mashugga and murder innocent people this situation, would have been ameliorated somewhat.
But Arabs Can NEVER be trusted under any circumstances. Jews should depend on their own work force, employ more women, or import known well behaved, people like Philipinos, with whom they have much experience, all good, or others.
The u n employees thousands of useless so why not employ the terror unemployed? They could sit in the streets of the e u hand out asking 5 euros for a cup of coffee, 10 euros not to rape you, 15 euros not to white slave your 10 year old child. Nights they could sleep in 5 * hotels and allow the hotels to brag about their high occupancy. Or make them e u parliamentarians representing the newly formed country of u n.
Problem solved