Business & Economy
EI's Business & Economy section offers reports and news about the economics and commerce in Palestinian society, and reports on the how the Israeli economy is impacted by the ongoing conflict. Quality submissions are welcomed.
Israel besieges Gaza's fishing industry
Mel Frykberg, The Electronic Intifada, 8 December 2008
RAMALLAH, West Bank (IPS) - Israeli naval commandos recently hauled off three international peace activists off Palestinian fishing boats seven nautical miles off Gaza's coast. They were accompanying 15 Palestinian fishermen attempting to complete a day's fishing without being shot at or arrested by the Israeli navy [MORE]
World bank assails Israeli chokehold on West Bank
Abid Aslam, The Electronic Intifada, 24 October 2008
WASHINGTON (IPS) - The West Bank's economy continues to gasp for air despite increased international aid mainly because Israel keeps the Palestinian territory in a stranglehold, says the World Bank. Israel's illegal settlements, security cordons, and hundreds of roadblocks pose the most significant obstacle to the movement of people and goods, the Washington-based bank says in a new assessment. Violence and vandalism by Israeli settlers further deters investment, it adds. [MORE]
Honey makes Hebron life a bit sweeter
Report, The Electronic Intifada, 11 August 2008
HEBRON (IRIN) - The toughest part of the West Bank just got a bit sweeter, with an influx of beehives, helping farmers cope with the decline in their economic situation. Stuck between two Israeli settlements, the Palestinian residents of Wadi al-Ghrous in Hebron are surrounded by military bases and fences, their movements are restricted, and over the past 25 years they have been affected by Israeli land expropriations. [MORE]
Salam Fayyad's cynical party
Adri Nieuwhof, The Electronic Intifada, 26 May 2008
The Palestine Investment Conference held from 21 until 23 May in Bethlehem has incited broad resistance from Palestinian popular organizations. In his invitation to investors appointed Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Salam Fayyad wrote, "We are throwing a party and the whole world is invited." EI contributor Adri Nieuwhof writes. [MORE]
Investors warned about access to occupied Palestine
Press release, Campaign for the Right to Entry, 21 May 2008
As hundreds of international investors begin arriving in Bethlehem for the Palestine Investment Conference scheduled for 21-23 May, the threat of being barred from entering the occupied West Bank by Israeli officials is likely to be foremost on everyone's mind. Those hoping to actually invest in Palestine will be looking for answers regarding who will guarantee unhindered access in the future for themselves, their staff and the suppliers needed for investments to succeed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. [MORE]
Too quiet in Gaza's harbor
Mohammed Omer, The Electronic Intifada, 6 May 2008
GAZA CITY, 6 May (IPS) - It's been strangely quiet for some time at the port in Gaza. No clanging of hooks, no sounds of creaking cranes or of thumping of nets upon decks. Boat engines, normally puttering and spewing exhaust, lie entombed under covers. Of the 40,000 fishermen and others who make a living from the catch, only about 700 are still busy, according to the Fishing Syndicate in Gaza. The boats need oil, and Israel will not let the fishermen have it. [MORE]
Israel's oil refineries privatized: the Palestinian economy perspective
Shir Hever, The Alternative Information Center, 4 April 2008
Over a year has passed since Israel privatized its oil refineries in Haifa and Ashdod to private companies. The Haifa refineries were bought by a group of investors lead by the Ofer brothers, two of Israel's richest capitalists through their company Israel Corp. The Ashdod refineries were bought by the Paz petrol company owned by Zadik Bino. What may appear to be an internal Israeli matter, has in fact a crucial impact on the Palestinian economy in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as well. [MORE]
Food prices double in besieged Gaza
Report, PCHR, 27 March 2008
"There have been rapid price increases over the last few months because of the closure. Three months ago, for instance, a liter of corn oil cost 19 shekels [the equivalent of $4.50]. Now it costs 29 shekels [$7]. The price of flour has also doubled; three months ago a kilo of flour was two shekels. Now our customers have to pay four shekels." PCHR reports on how the siege has affected business owners like Anwar Abu al-Kass and the availability of food in Gaza. [MORE]
Hegemony through free trade: Interview with Daoud Hamoudi
Stefan Christoff, The Electronic Intifada, 10 March 2008
In this interview by EI contributor Stefan Christoff, Daoud Hamoudi of the Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign discusses how apartheid economics is critical to US and Israeli policy in the region, implemented through neo-liberal bilateral trade accords, or on the ground in Palestine where Israel is pushing a plan to build industrial processing zones. [MORE]
Gaza flower producers watch their industry die
Report, PCHR, 27 February 2008
When Hassan Sheikh Hijazi first opened his flower farm in 1991, it flourished. "We had a very good family business," he says. "We exported hundreds of thousands of flowers to Holland and from there our flowers were sold across Europe. The traders knew our flowers were good quality -- and Gaza was open for business." With its mild coastal weather and well-drained soil, the Gaza Strip is an ideal location for commercial flower farming. There are more than a hundred small flowers farms across the Gaza Strip, and they employ some 7,000 farm workers between them. [MORE]
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