Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Israel Responsible for Palestinian Economy

The World Bank is trying to fix the Palestinian economy in light of the Israeli defensive fence and the Gaza pullout. Nigel Roberts, director of the World Bank's office in the territories made the following points:

Currently, he said, some 40,000 Palestinians work in Israel, half of them illegally, and he expressed hope that once the separation fence is completed, thereby reducing the number of illegal workers, Israel will increase the number of legal workers.

Asked whether the PA bore some responsibility for its own economic decline for having launched the intifada, Roberts declined to answer, saying he prefered to focus on the future.

He also said it was illogical to expect Arab states to hire Palestinians in Israel's stead, because Palestinian workers have been barred from the Gulf states ever since the Palestinians backed former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's 1991 invasion of Kuwait.
So there you have it. Backing the wrong side in a war leads to an unassailable economic boycott. Being the wrong side in a war is supposed to get you the economic backing of those you fight against.

Can some one please explain the logic to me?

Or is it the fact that the Israelis are mostly Jews?

We report, you decide.

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