Christmas in the Holy Land was always going to be a unique experience, but when the "little town of Bethlehem" continues to be occupied, it makes it all the more unusual. Particularly interesting were attempts by Israel to be seen as acting in the Christmas spirit.
Palestinians and Internationals light a candle for peace on christmas day
First they announced that Bethlehem would be open for visiting Christians from Israel and abroad. As I came through the checkpoint from Jerusalem, there were an unusually large number of soldiers hanging around, harassing the taxi drivers from Bethlehem. I was told they were deliberately "nicer during Christmas" by an Israeli activist, but the opposite seemed true to me.
Then it was publicized that Mahmoud Abbas would be able to come for an official visit to the Church of Nativity to attend Midnight Mass; a 'privilege' they had consistently denied to Arafat since this Intifada began.
They also announced that Palestinians would be able to apply for a special visitors permit to Israel during the Christmas period. The only condition is that you have to be a Christian. Many from (predominantly Christian) Beit Sahour and the Bethlehem area made the most of this chance to visit Jerusalem. Many didn’t, however, for they refuse to recognize the right of Israel to decide when they can and can’t visit a city which they consider to be their own capital.
The hidden catch, though, is that while you can apply for a 'special permit', they won’t necessarily grant it. A few weeks ago, my colleague had discussed her wish to take her daughter, less than two years old, to the zoo in west Jerusalem. (Like so many children, she adores animals). She swallowed her pride and, along with her family, applied for a visitors permit. Her family, all of them Christians, were given the required permission, but she was denied.
Why? Perhaps because she is active in an organization which works (along with Israeli's) to end the occupation; to end the illegal and humiliating system in which Israel grants or denies Palestinians the right to travel in their own country; to end discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, nationality. 'Amira' campaigns particularly around women's issues; she works for a world in which women are equal with men, and where Palestinian women are not subjugated to Israeli control.
It would seem that the condition for visiting Israel during Christmas is not only that you are Christian, but you must be a compliant, subservient one at that. You must recognize Israel's annexation of east Jerusalem, and you must accept the occupation. If you are good, and keep your mouth closed, then maybe you will be able to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher once a year.
Perhaps these were the sentiments behind Israel giving Mahmoud Abbas, the all-but-elected-president of the Palestinian Authority, permission to travel to Bethlehem this year…
An international at a Christmas party, who had come through the Israeli checkpoint into Bethlehem, brought a bag of sweets which were given to them by the Israeli soldiers. It was a 'gift' from the Israeli state, and it included the following note, in English, Hebrew and Arabic:
"Dear tourist,
The State of Israel is glad that you have decided to visit the Holy land during the Christmas season. The heads of the churches in Jerusalem have announced the promotion of pilgrimage to the Holy Land and have signed an appeal to the pilgrims visiting the Holy Land to pray for peace between our nations. As a gesture of goodwill, we request you to give this present to a Palestinian colleague, thus creating a bridge for peace.
Merry Christmas!"
It was a bit ironic, I thought, that for Israel to get these sweets to the Palestinians, they needed tourists to come through a checkpoint and give them out on their behalf. Why not drop this "gesture of goodwill" from the Apache helicopters we regularly hear overhead? Why not throw them from the jeeps that patrol the "security fence" surrounding Bethlehem, instead of throwing sound bombs? They could even have parachuted out bags of sweets from the F16's they used to drop four 1,000lb bombs on the Palestinian Authority compound in Bethlehem in April, 2002.
A bridge for peace is certainly needed, after fifty-six years of continuous occupation, invasion, dispossession and exile. Somehow I doubt a bag of sweets will be enough. Like the conditions set by Israel for Palestinians to get to Jerusalem during this holiday period, these sweets will be hard to swallow, and they leave a bitter aftertaste. I tried to give the bag of sweets to a colleague, as the note had suggested, but he turned down my generous offer.
Instead of choking on these empty gestures from Israel, we went on a candle-lit procession in Beit Sahour, to "Light a Candle for Palestinian National Unity," organized by the Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement between People. Despite the rain, a good few hundred turned out, marched behind the band, and carried banners which read: "Imprisoned in my land – Stop the Apartheid Wall"; "The Apartheid Wall will fall, as did the Berlin Wall"; and "The siege of Death Must End."
These were slogans based on real demands of the Palestinian people: they don’t want sweets, they want an end to occupation, they want freedom to move, and to live in dignity. The candle-lit procession has become an annual event, and I've no doubt the community of Beit Sahour will stubbornly continue to march until their demands are finally met.
Salaam, Shalom, Peace to all
Then it was publicized that Mahmoud Abbas would be able to come for an official visit to the Church of Nativity to attend Midnight Mass; a 'privilege' they had consistently denied to Arafat since this Intifada began.
They also announced that Palestinians would be able to apply for a special visitors permit to Israel during the Christmas period. The only condition is that you have to be a Christian. Many from (predominantly Christian) Beit Sahour and the Bethlehem area made the most of this chance to visit Jerusalem. Many didn’t, however, for they refuse to recognize the right of Israel to decide when they can and can’t visit a city which they consider to be their own capital.
The hidden catch, though, is that while you can apply for a 'special permit', they won’t necessarily grant it. A few weeks ago, my colleague had discussed her wish to take her daughter, less than two years old, to the zoo in west Jerusalem. (Like so many children, she adores animals). She swallowed her pride and, along with her family, applied for a visitors permit. Her family, all of them Christians, were given the required permission, but she was denied.
Why? Perhaps because she is active in an organization which works (along with Israeli's) to end the occupation; to end the illegal and humiliating system in which Israel grants or denies Palestinians the right to travel in their own country; to end discrimination based on ethnicity, religion, nationality. 'Amira' campaigns particularly around women's issues; she works for a world in which women are equal with men, and where Palestinian women are not subjugated to Israeli control.
It would seem that the condition for visiting Israel during Christmas is not only that you are Christian, but you must be a compliant, subservient one at that. You must recognize Israel's annexation of east Jerusalem, and you must accept the occupation. If you are good, and keep your mouth closed, then maybe you will be able to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher once a year.
Perhaps these were the sentiments behind Israel giving Mahmoud Abbas, the all-but-elected-president of the Palestinian Authority, permission to travel to Bethlehem this year…
An international at a Christmas party, who had come through the Israeli checkpoint into Bethlehem, brought a bag of sweets which were given to them by the Israeli soldiers. It was a 'gift' from the Israeli state, and it included the following note, in English, Hebrew and Arabic:
"Dear tourist,
The State of Israel is glad that you have decided to visit the Holy land during the Christmas season. The heads of the churches in Jerusalem have announced the promotion of pilgrimage to the Holy Land and have signed an appeal to the pilgrims visiting the Holy Land to pray for peace between our nations. As a gesture of goodwill, we request you to give this present to a Palestinian colleague, thus creating a bridge for peace.
Merry Christmas!"
It was a bit ironic, I thought, that for Israel to get these sweets to the Palestinians, they needed tourists to come through a checkpoint and give them out on their behalf. Why not drop this "gesture of goodwill" from the Apache helicopters we regularly hear overhead? Why not throw them from the jeeps that patrol the "security fence" surrounding Bethlehem, instead of throwing sound bombs? They could even have parachuted out bags of sweets from the F16's they used to drop four 1,000lb bombs on the Palestinian Authority compound in Bethlehem in April, 2002.
A bridge for peace is certainly needed, after fifty-six years of continuous occupation, invasion, dispossession and exile. Somehow I doubt a bag of sweets will be enough. Like the conditions set by Israel for Palestinians to get to Jerusalem during this holiday period, these sweets will be hard to swallow, and they leave a bitter aftertaste. I tried to give the bag of sweets to a colleague, as the note had suggested, but he turned down my generous offer.
Instead of choking on these empty gestures from Israel, we went on a candle-lit procession in Beit Sahour, to "Light a Candle for Palestinian National Unity," organized by the Palestinian Centre for Rapprochement between People. Despite the rain, a good few hundred turned out, marched behind the band, and carried banners which read: "Imprisoned in my land – Stop the Apartheid Wall"; "The Apartheid Wall will fall, as did the Berlin Wall"; and "The siege of Death Must End."
These were slogans based on real demands of the Palestinian people: they don’t want sweets, they want an end to occupation, they want freedom to move, and to live in dignity. The candle-lit procession has become an annual event, and I've no doubt the community of Beit Sahour will stubbornly continue to march until their demands are finally met.
Salaam, Shalom, Peace to all
Comments
Hide the following 18 comments
Bethlehem
27.12.2004 22:36
You see while Bethlehem is still mostly populated by Christians, their population have reduced in recent years. Once it stood at 80% and now bearly touches 60%. There has steadily been a system of ethnic cleansing of Christians in Bethlehem and the surrounding neighbourhoods, most notably in Beit Jala.
This has been innitiated by the Palestinian Authority that have forced Christians to leave their homes because of fear of being hurt during ongoing attacks against Israeli targets perpitrated by militant groups. Furthermore, the Palestinian Authority has bullied many Christians from their homes and given the property to Muslims. Indeed, the PA favours Muslims in Bethlehem for housing rights, meaning that Muslims who apply for housing in Bethlehem are more likely to obtain housing.
zion 1
e-mail:
zion1_48@hotmail.com
Palestinian Christmas decorations
28.12.2004 19:47
Manger Square
Not Convinced
28.12.2004 20:09
As forthe last comment - I would be interested to see proof of that
not a zionist
at least lie convincingly
28.12.2004 21:24
This fictious lie you invent to split the Palestinians is just that. Both the muslims and the christian palestinians originate from the same blood line: the Cannanites (the people who lived on the land even BEFORE the ancient state of Israel, over 3,000 years ago). And their genetic decendents (the modern Palestinians) are still living on that land.
pro-pal and pro-plus
No lie. Read it yourselves
29.12.2004 02:09
Want more? Just let me know.
zion 1
e-mail:
zion1_48@hotmail.com
palestinian Christmas decorations
29.12.2004 20:12
International Christian Embassy Jerusalem
March 15, 2002
In horrific scenes replayed on international television, Palestinian gunmen in Bethlehem on Thursday shot two local Arab men suspected of collaborating with Israel, then tied the body of one to the back of a pickup truck and dragged him through town, before attempting to hang them in historic Manger Square.
The gruesome spectacle, a sign of growing lawlessness in Palestinian areas, attracted many onlookers, including little children, as the bodies were left face down in pools of blood. PA police did not stop the murderous mob until they tried to hang the bodies at the place where tradition says Jesus was born.
The two bodies remained in the streets of Bethlehem late Thursday night with nobody willing to bury them. The two, Mahmoud Sabathin and Mohammed Deifallah, had been imprisoned at the General Intelligence prison in the city on suspicions of being Israeli informers.
Sabathin was suspected of having handed over a booby-trapped car to a local leader of the Fatah militia, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. He turned himself in to the Palestinian Authority and was awaiting trial. Deifallah had been tried and sentenced for allegedly helping Israel kill another terrorist leader, but the Palestinian justice minister ordered a retrial because of faulty judicial procedures.
Yesterday, the two were dragged from the PA security building and murdered by Palestinian vigilantes.
Family members of Deifallah, a 29-year-old mechanic, live nearby and have been fired from their jobs and ostracized by neighbors. They could not get permission yesterday to bury their murdered relative on Palestinian land, and were hoping to persuade the Israelis to allow them to bury him in a Muslim cemetery in nearby Israel.
"This is brutal terrorism. Even animals don't do this," his wife told The Independent.
On Tuesday, another suspected collaborator was murdered by Palestinian gunmen in Ramallah and hung upside down from an electricity pole in the city's central Manara square. Three Palestinians were also killed in Jenin last month after being sentenced for suspected collaboration as well.
During the first intifada from 1987 to 1993, over 1000 Palestinians died in Arab-on-Arab violence, more than the number killed by Israeli forces. About 800 Palestinians were murdered as suspected collaborators, although most were killed for simply having business ties to Israelis or in clan feuds and other vendettas.
Several times throughout this second intifada, the PA and various militias have gone on rampages trying to root out suspected spies with the intent of spreading fear among Palestinians thinking of cooperating with Israeli security forces. An estimated 30 collaborators have been killed over the past 18 months, several in official PA executions. Some executions have been in public places or captured on video, drawing mild condemnations from human rights groups.
Palestinian courts have issued about 35 death sentences since the current armed intifada began. PLO chief Yasser Arafat must ratify the death sentences. The PA estimates as many as 20,000 collaborators among the Palestinian people.
manger Square
Homepage:
http://truthnews.com/world/2002_03_manger_square_lynching.html
I'm honoured!
30.12.2004 09:08
It's a preferred tactic of the zionist lobby to try to whip up christian/muslim hatred. the US and many european countries favour christian migration from palestine - that's excactly what israel wants; for them to leave palestine. Indeed, when you get on a bus through the west bank with both muslims and christians you'll expect the muslims to be held back or detained and the christians let off lightly in comparison - an obvious tactic to try to divide the two communites (and note the differential treatment refered to in the original article about israel letting christian palestinians a 'special permit' to go to jerusalem during this christmas holiday period).
Reading some of the above 'comments', you'd be forgiven for thinking that palestine was being occupied by muslims. the fact is, and this is an undenial fact, that Israel is occupying palestine, had made bethlehem one large ghetto by building an eight metre high and electrified fence around it; land has been stolen and people - muslim and christian alike - have been murdered by Israeli soldiers and settlers year in, year out. yet the palestinian people, as the article i wrote demonstrates, continue to resist the attempts to drive them away, an consistently call for an end to this barbaric illegal occupation. no amount of zionist propoganda will cloud this reality. And they continue to do so as Palestinians, muslims and christians: Here is a relevent story about muslims and christians in bethlehem:
What amuses me most is when zionists tell me to talk to people in bethlehem when they don't go there themselves (except, perhaps, as occupying soldiers), and when they couldn't write an orginal post on the matter themselves if they were paid to (instead, relying on tired neo-con/ zionist propoganda written over the years).
salam max
Speaking of collaborators...
30.12.2004 09:29
salam max
The terrible lightness of Salam Max
30.12.2004 12:52
It is not the “tactics of the Zionist lobby” to stir up hatred between Christians and Muslims. Indeed, in light of the facts, Zionists do not have much work to do. The fact of the matter is that political sentiment in the West Bank and Gaza is increasingly moving away from secularism that was traditionally associated with Palestinian nationalism. Organizations such as the PFLP and the DFLP have seen a decrease in their popularity and even Fatah has seen radical Islamist factions establish such as the Al Aksa Brigage. In Gaza, Hamas has support of 40 per cent of the population and is gaining increased support in the West bank. In light of this political trend, Christians are becoming distanced from Palestinian nationalism.
In regards to Jewish settlements near Bethlehem, this is not land that has been stolen from the Palestinians. The cluster of settlements between Bethlehem and Jerusalem is known as the Etzion Bloc, communities that have been inhabited by Jews since ancient times. The only time when they were not inhabited by Jews was between 1948 and 1967, when the West Bank was under Jordanian occupation. Who is anyone to deny the right for Jews to live in this area? Bethlehem and the Arab areas around it are controlled by the Palestinian Authority and no final status discussion has suggested that Israel wishes to possess Bethlehem.
For your information I have talked to Christians in Bethlehem personally. In fact when I was last in Bethlehem in 2001 I met with a friend of mine from university who not only is a Christian, but also works for UNRWA. Also I am a Zionist who has met and has friends not only in Bethlehem but in Ramallah and East Jerusalem too.
zion 1
e-mail:
zion1_48@hotmail.com
Colonisation of Bethlehem land
30.12.2004 15:39
"Neither side shall take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip…" Article XXXI, Oslo II, 1995.
The following photo's are of pictures of land INSIDE THE GREEN LINE, and a 'stones throw away' from Bethlehem... (and this is before the Wall was even started):
Not hard to see the intention behind this colonization of Bethlehem land. I suppose, as this settlement was being build, all the palestinians you met in 2001 were complaining about the muslims right? All I heard about in Bethlehem was the occupation, the theft of their land and their dignity. funny how you hear something else entirely.
Lie all you want; it won't wash. Thankfully, the information is clearly there for all to see.
No mention of the 'traitor' vanunu then? Thought not.
Good bye zionist.
salam max
Much to learn, you still have
30.12.2004 21:59
The full sentence of Oslo II you referred to is:
7. Neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip pending the outcome of the permanent status negotiations.
You seem to have taken this clause completely out of context. It was not referring to the settlements issues that would be addressed at final status negotiations because:
5. Permanent status negotiations will commence as soon as possible, but not later than May 4, 1996, between the Parties. It is understood that these negotiations shall cover remaining issues, including: Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, security arrangements, borders, relations and cooperation with other neighbors, and other issues of common interest.
Article XXXI, clause 7 was concerned that the sides should not engage in unilateral moves to alter the status of both entities such as the annexation of territories by Israel or unilateral declarations of statehood by the Palestinian Authority. However, the Oslo II agreement was not referring to Jerusalem, as clause 5 states, because it would be the subject of final status negotiations. Har Homa falls into the Jerusalem municipality and is not considered to be part of Bethlehem. Indeed, initial objections by Palestinians to the Har Homa project were that it was part of Arab East Jerusalem. Nevertheless, the land expropriated for the Har Homa project was 75% Jewish anyway and in addition, the project was intended for both Jews and Arabs.
The “settlements” I was referring to, the Etzion Bloc, are located outside of the green line but nevertheless, were Jewish neighborhoods since ancient times. In 1948 during the war of independence the residents of the Etzion Bloc were massacred and many of the present day inhabitants are decedents of those murdered or forced to flee in 1948.
I resent you claim that I am lying just because I assert and prove claims that contradict your simplistic Arab nationalism. The Christians I spoke to never deny that they are concerned with their status under the Palestinian Authority, and if you were to question them, I am sure they will respond the same way to you.
As for Vanunu, I do not see how he is related to this subject. Surely not because he converted to Christianity? Come on, don’t be silly.
zion 1
e-mail:
zion1_48@hotmail.com
very basic psycology
31.12.2004 18:57
relgious fanaticism isn't ALWAYS a secondary disease. the primary diseaase in Palestine is the oppresion by the Zionist state caused by its occupation of Palestine. the palestinian people have continiously been frustrated by harsh economic conditions (caused about by restriction of movement within palestine; curfews; the checkpoint between palestine and its neighbours; the land grab caused by the wall, etc). unemployment in the west bank is 60%. everyone can see Israel has NO intent of stopping the building of settlements. In true politician style what Ariel Sharon says and what happens on the ground are two different things! there are still new israeli settlents being built in the west bank!!
out of all this desperation and the lack of political dialogue the palestinians are obviously going to look somewhere else for inspiration, and in this case the rise of Hamas. but then again, thats what israel wants! (note israel funded Hamas in the 80's). you only have to read chomsky's fateful triangle to know that israel never wanted a political dialogue with the palestinians and has done everything in its power to frustrate that. israel doesn't want peace, why should it? give it another 50 years and its settlement program would be so advanced they'll be no palestine left! and Zion 1, thats the simple truth about Zionist/israel's policy: slow genocide. You people have no intent for wanting peace, your getting what you want, slowly.
dr shrink
nice try, doc
01.01.2005 06:34
You made some very interesting comments. However, you seem to be unaware that religious fanaticism in the Palestinian territories in the form of militant groups started at a time when the economic position of Palestinian was at its peak and when it was most liberated from Israeli control.
The popularity of Hamas increased during the time of the Oslo Accords, when Palestinians had reached their highest level of self autonomy and economic liberation from the “occupation”. Restriction of movement between the periods of 1993 and 2000 was at its lowest.
Hamas was originally founded in the 1980s, as you correctly stated, during the time of the first intifada as a charitable and political movement that provided Palestinians with educational and care institutions. However, its terrorist wing became active during the time of the Oslo Accords and gained popularity because of its rejectionism of the peace process.
Are you really denying the rise of religious fanaticism during the Oslo years when the Palestinian economy was at its peak and enjoyed freedom of movement and self autonomy? If so, it does not sound very convincing. So much for your theory.
As for the settlement issue and “slow genocide”. Peace is indeed what Israel wants and the majority of Zionists, including myself, advocate a two state solution with a viable Palestinian state. Indeed, it would be beneficial for Israel. Currently, Israel is engaged in a disengagement plan and will withdraw from Gaza and the settlers will be moved. In addition, a close associate of Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert, has said that following disengagement from Gaza, there must be a wide scale evacuation from the West Bank. Interestingly, all the announcement of this kind made by Olmert has turned into government policy (withdrawal from Gaza, the barrier, etc). Also settlement construction and expansion has been severely reduced in recent years. So much for your claim that in 50 years the settlement program will be advanced.
Slow Genocide? If this was Zionist policy then Israel is doing a bad job. The population of the Palestinians has multiplied at rapid rates and still continues to do so. A Palestinian state would have been established already had it not been for the continuation of the intifada.
I have read Chomsky. My father told me when I was a child to read everything and I do. I advice you to do the same.
zion 1
e-mail:
zion1_48@hotmail.com
nice try Zion 1, histroy isn't so easily rewritten ;)
01.01.2005 19:33
I have *no* idea what your talking about Zion1! first thing many palestinians didn't agree with Oslo which didn't take into account the right to return for refugee's and didn't promise a soverign palestinian state, just a large military prison. your quote above regarding the period after Oslo and "prosperity"? is in stark contridiction to reality:
"The current violence grows out of Palestinian frustrations with the peace process. During years of waiting for promised benefits, Palestinians have seen their standard of living steadily decline. In the seven years between the signing of the Oslo Accords and the start of the uprising in September 2000, Israeli policies -- including border controls, retention of Palestinian funds, and restrictions on trade, investment, and access to water resources -- resulted in growing trade and budget deficits for the Palestinians. Unemployment was hovering at 50%, poverty rates increased, health standards deteriorated, and any sense of opportunity among Palestinian youth began to fade."
-Joseph Yackley and Stephen Zunes, U.S. Security Assistance to Israel, Foreign Policy In Focus, Volume 7, Number 3, May 2002 [1]
"Are you really denying the rise of religious fanaticism during the Oslo years when the Palestinian economy was at its peak and enjoyed freedom of movement and self autonomy?" [Zion 1]
Zion 1, i'm not denying the rise of religious fanaticism after Oslo. Oslo was a failure, i believe that Arafat called it a mistake. But the years after Oslo aren't the "wonder years" your making them out to be. i believe i am uncorrected when i said that Hamas/religious-fanatism rose from the failure of political dialogue.
"Currently, Israel is engaged in a disengagement plan and will withdraw from Gaza and the settlers will be moved" [Zion 1]
i'll believe it when i see this. like i said, what politicians say and what they do are two totally different things. tony blair said he wouldn't commit british troops without a mandate from the UN, how quickly he changed his mind.
"Slow Genocide? If this was Zionist policy then Israel is doing a bad job. The population of the Palestinians has multiplied at rapid rates and still continues to do so." [Zion 1]
isn't this more of a reason for israel wanting to totally squeeze away any palestinian state? because it threatens israel. isn't that more of a reason for israel to "try to" increase the number of jewish immigrants into the west bank? according to the CIA Worldfact book (i'm skeptical, but can't find a better source) only 20.8% of jewish people in Israel are born there[2] the rest are immigrants. i know that israel has tried to increase its immigrant population with tax breaks, grants and discount accomodation in the new settlements. fortunately none of this is working to well the security fears are putting off many jewish people from settling in the west bank. but unfortunately many hardcore god-promised-us-this-land zionists are still settling in palestine. and i dont think that israel will pull the settlers out of the west bank, there are too many newly built settlements:
[1]
[2]
dr shrink
Dr No
03.01.2005 20:18
However, it is a red herring to believe that the rise of Islamic extremism is connected to poverty. According to research conducted by the National Bureaux for Economic research "economic conditions and education are largely unrelated to participation in, and support for, terrorism." It also claimed their research found that support of violent actions against Israel did not vary much in accordance to social background.
Source: Jitka Maleckova and Alan Kreuger, "Education, Poverty, Political Violence and Terrorism: Is There a Causal Connection?" (July 2002) quoted in the Daily Star [Lebanon], (August 6, 2002).
Your quote by Joseph Yackley and Stephen Zunes is very misleading. Their assertion that unemployment increased to 50 per cent and poor health conditions and poverty increased was true after the beginning of the intifada in 2000 but not before. I was, and still am, referring to the economic position BEFORE the intifada and DURING the peace process.
There were periods of stagnation (due to both Israeli closures as a result of Palestinian violence AND Palestinian mismanagement) between 1994 and 1997. However, by 1999, before the intifada, the Palestinian economy fared well. Here are some statistics of the Palestinian economy:
GDP: 1995, $3,517. 2000, $4,442. In other words, growth.
Unemployment: 1995, 18.2 per cent.1999,11.8 per cent. In other words, a reduction in unemployment.
Consumer price inflation: 1995, 10.8 per cent.1999, 5.5 per cent. In other words, inflation went down.
Real GNI per capita growth: 1995, 1.3 per cent.1999, 4.1 per cent (11.7 per cent in 1998). In other words, growth.
Source: IMF
I agree that the Oslo process was not the “wonder years”. The Oslo years were the time when Islamic nationalism became more potent in the Palestinian Authority and I agree with you that this was a result of failures in political dialogue. However, this does not mean we can dismiss the Oslo process at a bad idea. No, on the contrary, it gave Palestinians control over their population centres and gave Palestinians a degree of economic and political independence. Hamas initiated violence to obtain popularity amongst Palestinians frustrated with the stallings in the peace process, which was counter productive, unacceptable and significantly helped to contribute to the peace process’s failure.
Palestinian corruption and incompetence mixed with derailments in the peace process caused many in the West bank and Gaza Strip to look towards Hamas as a political alternative to the PLO. In addition, Hamas was an organization that was lead by people from the Palestinian territories and was not viewed as “outsiders” as were the PLO who returned from Tunis and assumed leadership of the PA. As Hamas and Islamic Jihad gained popularity, the nature of Palestinian nationalism became exclusive of the Christian population and centred on Islam. And thus I clarify my original point when I first responded to this post.
For your information, the refugee issue was agreed to be discussed at final status negotiations at the 1995 Oslo II agreement, the refugee issue was again referred to in 1999 when preparations for final status talks were made and never during the peace process was is stated that the Palestinian side should give up their aspirations concerning a solution to the refugee issue.
The quote you cited from the CIA world factbook is not related to immigration to the occupied territories. Tax breaks, cheaper accommodation etc are granted to immigrants depending on their economic status and not where they choose to live. Indeed, the vast majority of immigrants are settled in northern Israel or new towns in the Negev. The amount of immigrants that have settled outside of the green line since 1967 is minimal. In fact the amount of settlers in total account for less than 1 per cent of Israel’s Jewish population. Israel’s plans to dismantle settlements and withdraw from Gaza and possibly soon, the West Bank, are proof enough that Israel does not desire to “squeeze away any Palestinian state”, and Israel’s voters have no desire to see Israel’s borders expand. New and expensive settlements have been dismantled in the past (withdrawal from Sinai) and it is inevitable that it will be done again.
So much for your slow genocide theory.
zion 1
e-mail:
zion1_48@hotmil.com
Comment
07.01.2005 11:59
richarddirecttv
clarifications
08.01.2005 01:38
I apologize for my miscalculation. The amount of settlers in the West bank and Gaza is actually around 4 per cent of Israel’s Jewish population, still a considerably small figure.
For your information, Israeli is spelled “Israeli” and not “Isreali”!
zion 1
e-mail:
zion1_48@hotmail.com
Settler population
08.01.2005 14:37
richarddirecttv