World Bank criticises Israel over Palestinian economy
Brett
Mark Tran
Wednesday May 9, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
The World Bank today called on Israel to ease its extensive
restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza
to fuel a Palestinian economic revival.
In a harsh report (pdf), the bank criticised Israel for extending
legitimate security measures to expand and protect settlement activity
and the relatively unhindered movement of settlers and other Israelis
in and out of the West Bank.
The US has been pushing Israel to relax some of the restrictions to
allow the hard-pressed Palestinian economy scope for recovery, and the
World Bank's 18-page report - a comprehensive assessment of the
restrictions - reinforced that message.
11.15am
World Bank criticises Israel over Palestinian economy
Mark Tran
Wednesday May 9, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
A concrete section of the 'security fence' near the border of Israel
and the Palestinian West Bank
A concrete section of Israel's 'security barrier' on the West Bank.
Photograph: Sean Smith
The World Bank today called on Israel to ease its extensive
restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza
to fuel a Palestinian economic revival.
In a harsh report (pdf), the bank criticised Israel for extending
legitimate security measures to expand and protect settlement activity
and the relatively unhindered movement of settlers and other Israelis
in and out of the West Bank.
The US has been pushing Israel to relax some of the restrictions to
allow the hard-pressed Palestinian economy scope for recovery, and the
World Bank's 18-page report - a comprehensive assessment of the
restrictions - reinforced that message.
Article continues
It said that while Israel had shown a willingness to relax specific
restrictions, incremental steps lacked permanence and certainty and
could be easily withdrawn or replaced by other restrictions.
"Moreover, sustainable economic recovery will remain elusive if large
areas of the West Bank remain inaccessible for economic purposes and
restricted movement remains the norm for the vast majority of
Palestinians and expatriate Palestinian investors," the report added.
Israel claimed its system of restrictions was necessary to counter
terrorism. "We have no interest whatsoever in seeing a failed
Palestinian economy," the Israeli foreign ministry spokesman, Mark
Regev, told the Associated Press.
"Many of the current problems are a direct result of terrorism,
violence and political instability inside the Palestinian
territories ... and the overall anarchy that exists."
Many restrictions were imposed or tightened during the second
Palestinian uprising, which began in 2000 and was accompanied by
suicide bombings and shootings.
In 2002, Israel began building the separation barrier it claims is
meant to keep out attackers, but which the World Bank says has had a
negative impact on the Palestinian economy.
Israel has declared the area between the barrier and the pre-1967
borders - the green line - a "closed area" for an indefinite period.
This so-called "seam zone" accounts roughly for 8.5% of West Bank
territory, encompassing roughly 50,000 Palestinians in 38 towns and
villages.
A recent study cited by the World Bank, funded by the New Israel Fund
and the British embassy in Tel Aviv, found that the current route of
the barrier "almost totally ignores the daily needs of the Palestinian
population".
It said the barrier was "focused almost exclusively on the desire to
maintain the fabric of life of Israeli settlers".
According to the report, more than 50% of the West Bank is restricted
for Palestinians, including land around 133 Jewish settlements and
some 100 "illegal outposts".
The report said there were around 250,000 settlers in the West Bank,
roughly twice the 129,000 who lived in the area at the time of the
1993 Oslo accords.
Some 450 miles of major West Bank roads are for settlers or non-
Palestinians only, forcing Palestinian motorists to use long detours.
Apart from physical restrictions, Israel runs the population registry
in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, determining who receives ID
cards - and thus residency rights - after the age of 16, the bank
said.
The registry is linked to a permit system that can be used to control
the movement of Palestinians outside their immediate municipal area
and restrict access to large parts of the West Bank.
The report said economic recovery and sustainable growth would
"require a fundamental reassessment of closure practices, a
restoration of the presumption of movement, and review of Israeli
control of the population registry and other means of dictating the
residency of Palestinians within the West Bank and Gaza".