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World Jewish News
World Bank: Aid isn't enough to spark Palestinian growth
05.06.2009
The massive aid for the Gaza Strip and West Bank has had little effect, as economic growth and development continues to be stymied by Israeli restrictions on Palestinian trade and movement, the World Bank said Thursday.
"In the face of the ongoing economic restrictions imposed by the government of Israel, most of these projects have not gotten off the ground to date," the World Bank said in a report ahead of the donor countries conference.
It cited Israeli roadblocks and checkpoints hindering trade and travel, as well as restrictions on Palestinian building in the West Bank, where the Western-backed government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas holds sway.
The $5.2 billion promised by the donor countries at the March pledging conference in Sharm el-Sheikh has not been transferred to Gaza, and reconstruction work there following Operation Cast Lead has not begun, the report says.
Due to the growing isolation of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, residents are becoming more dependent on foreign aid, the report says.
The bank says that even if the required materials for rehabilitation are allowed into Gaza, this would not change the situation there so long as the private sector cannot freely import and export.
The report says that despite the Palestinian economy's considerable potential for growth, the gross national product per capita declined 1 percent in 2008. The private sector's share is diminishing while the public sector is growing, as is the dependence on international aid. Last year, 30 percent of the gross national product was donations.
Источник: Haaretz
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