THIS WEEK'S TRIBUNE  THIS WEEK'S TRIBUNE Arab towns in Judea, Samaria flourishing, IDF spokesperson says
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Arab towns in Judea, Samaria flourishing, IDF spokesperson says |
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Written by Atara Beck
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Tuesday, 13 October 2009 |
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TORONTO-WASHINGTON – While the economic crisis continues to varying degrees around the world, the Arab towns of Judea and Samaria are flourishing, according to Lt.-Col. Avital Leibovich, the highest-ranking foreign press spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Leibovich, who was in North America recently to talk with journalists about the challenges in Judea and Samaria [West Bank] and Gaza, attributes this economic success to the security measures taken in recent years by Israel, which “make it difficult to carry out terror plans.
“We saw a gradual trend of economic improvement. The PA (Palestinian Authority) was elected and many left terror organizations and we began to see the outcome economically.”
Leibovich cited employment statistics as an example.
“In 2002, one of the bloodiest years, the [unemployment] rate was 31 per cent for the West Bank. Today it’s 15 per cent. This is compared to 9 per cent overall [in Israel]. The 31 per cent was for the entire West Bank, including Nablus, which was considered the terror hub. Today in Nablus it’s 6 per cent.”
In the construction sector, there has been an 18 per cent increase in imported cement since 2007, she added.
Cement is necessary for construction, and therefore it is one of the economic barometers, she explained.
According to Leibovich, there are plans under way to build a new Palestinian city – Roabi –with 5,000 accommodation units. A new neighbourhood is being developed in Jenin, with a mall and hotel, and a new hotel was built in Nablus.
“There has been a lot of development,” she said. “Ramallah has serious night life now, with cafes and restaurants.”
Indeed, on a recent trip to the territories, a security expert pointed out the city of Ramallah to the Jewish Tribune and mentioned that it had been thriving lately.
Regarding imports, the first half of 2006 saw 2,201 vehicles entering the West Bank, and in the first part of 2009 there were 5,472, Leibovich continued. “And we see a 41 per cent increase in the passage of trucks from the West Bank since 2007, indicating exports, growth in manufacturing, more jobs.”
From 2008 to 2009, fuel sales have increased 29 per cent, she said. As well, Bethlehem had its best tourist year in 2008, with nearly 1 million tourists, while Jericho had just under half a million visitors.
“In 2006, the last year of the active Intifada, there were 300,000 in Bethlehem and 200,000 in Jericho. Israel has given permission to Arab Israelis to enter the West Bank since 2008, which helps the economy,” she said.
In 2006, 10,000 employment permits were granted, and now there are 26,000, “because we understood the situation had stabilized. This, in addition to 5,000 special permits for Palestinians to stay overnight in Israel, VIP permits…overall, an amazing trend of economic improvement during this time.
“As a result of this stabilizing process, we have removed more than 170 road blocks and checkpoints since 2007.”
Order on the streets is being controlled by the PA as the result of an agreement between Israel and the US, Leibovich said.
A number of international reports have credited the relaxing of security, rather than its implementation, for the new-found prosperity. For instance, according to a BBC report from Nablus (Shechem, in Hebrew) in July on the city’s now-thriving economy, “the six Israeli roadblocks and checkpoints that had ringed it for nine years had all but killed its economic life.”
There are more than 2 million Palestinians living in the West Bank, while the Jewish population numbers approximately 300,000.
According to reports from Israel, the last few weeks have seen a significant increase in attacks against Jewish residents there, some of whom have claimed that the IDF sees them as extremists and neglects to provide adequate protection.
Leibovich said she had not seen much “settler extremism…. At the end of the day, settlers represent less than 1 per cent of the Israeli population.”
As for the recent increase in violence at the Temple Mount, “last week’s incident [during the holiday of Sukkot, when Jews were attacked] was a police matter, not the IDF,” she said. “However, I have visited the Temple Mount with my soldiers. There were no problems going inside. We toured for an hour. You can coordinate a visit,” although there is a “heightened security alert on specific holy days.”
[A couple of days after the interview, the Temple Mount was barred to Jews and to male Muslims under the age of 50, which triggered more riots.]
Regarding the Goldstone Report on Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, “it is hard to believe that after eight years of practising restraint, you get only a one-page report, while there are 30-40 pages for a 22-day operation,” Leibovich declared. “This is something that is unacceptable.
“The majority of NGO reports are not serious and not correct,” she added. “The IDF will never teach soldiers to target innocent civilians. This can be seen in the results.” |
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 21 October 2009 )
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