The World Bank has concluded:
Whilst the unsettled political environment and internal Palestinian political divisions have contributed to investor aversion to the Palestinian territories, Israeli restrictions on trade, movement and access have been seen as the dominant deterrent.
The dominant deterrent!
You can quote that, David, and still blame the Palestinians.
Your last few posts focusing on Syria have at least made some sense.
It's good to have you back in form.

#halduell

Had a peace treaty been signed between Israel and the PLO in 2000/1 or 2008 the PLO would now be ruling a sovereign state in more than 90% of the West Bank and the World Bank Report would have presented an entirely different picture

The PLO has made its bed. It has to live with the consequences.

Coincidentally the following report was just published this morning:

"£1.95bn EU aid lost in Palestine

BILLIONS of euros in European aid to the Palestinians may have been misspent, .."

You can read the article at

http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/world_news/Middle_East/article1326858.ece?CMP=OTH-gnws-standard-2013_10_12

As usual the West Bank Arabs continue to be taken for a ride by their PLO masters.

Until they get the vote - the suffering of these poor people will continue under a corrupt and autocratic ruler.

Belgium has been taken for a ride - and no doubt other countries in the European Union will now begin to appreciate where their money has been misappropriated.

Maybe they know already - and that is why their financial support has been dropping dramatically - as the World Bank Report makes so clear.

My article may not make sense to you. Its conclusions make even a lot more sense to me in the light of this latest revelation.

Good to see you finally recognising them as Palestinians singer. Even though you still have to add Arabs to the end of it.

The usual weaselly joke of an article though.

As if israels domination and terrorism have not contributed to the Pals economic problems. Give me a break. Any economic, social, political or health problem in Palestine is directly down to the occupying power. That being the rogue state israel. A country with no constitution, no set borders and an increasingly blatant policy of ethnic cleansing, genocide and colonisation of Palestine. Not to mention its barbaric imprisonment of the whole of Gaza.
Any and all economic activity in the west bank only happens because israel allows it or more commonly these days does not allow it or makes it virtually impossible.

To quantify the Palestinians economic decisions as "disastrous" you would have to take into account the even bigger disaster that would have ensued from submission to israels disgusting offers in 2001/8.
The fact that the Palestinians inflicted so much economic harm on themselves with their choices shows how strongly they felt against the alternative pushed on them by israel (and america).

Indeed looking at the israeli economy one could say pretty much the same thing. How much do all those soldiers and checkpoints cost the israeli economy? What about all the support needed to protect the illegal jewish settlers? Iron dome, your weapons of mass destruction, assasination squads, supporting various terror groups, car bombs to kill Iranian scientists etc etc.

Palestine is not the only economy that would benefit from peace in the middle east.

singer you really are a nasty piece of work mate.

"The PLO has made its bed. It has to live with the consequences."

The consequences being subjugation, invasion, terrorism and death at the hands of israel.

In truth and reality all of the original non-Jewish inhabitants of Palestine including the Bedouins never had even the possibility of thriving and prospering because it was the deliberate policy of the various Israeli governments to systematically undermine such a possibility - from day one or when they achieved political power.
The new truth telling book by Max Blumenthal titled Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel describes the situation. It is featured at Tomdispatch.

WTF! Since when was the World Bank the arbiter of Middle East problems caused by the illegal occupation of one group of people for sixty-plus years and the stealing of their land by their occupiers?

Singer will grab anything to try to trick people into supporting Israel.

The world is beginning to turn against Israel as people become better informed about the situation and more resistant to the pro-Israel propaganda that floods and smothers our world.

The bottom line is that Israel should be pushed back to its 1967 borders by force and it should be forced to pay reparation for the destruction, the deaths, and the humiliation it has inflicted upon the Palestinians since 1948.

That the world allows the Israelis to continue to punish the Palestinians and enslave them is unforgivable.

Israel and the U.S. must be jointly condemned for this never-ending travesty of justice which continues year after year.

Drive the Israelis back to their borders! Now!

A rather insensitive article grasping at World Bank assessments for legitimacy.

Who would invest in captive territory surrounded by walls, wire, frequently attacked by Israel, forced to host Israeli settlements and under intrusive surveillance by Israel?

World Bank assessments are highly influenced by Israel, the monied diaspora that supports it, and by Israel's military and political ally (the US) that hosts the World Bank.

The World Bank is headquartered in Washington DC...

As stated above the low amount of investment in Palestine would owe much to its captive nation (often non-nation) status involving many economic limitations and distortions visited on it by Israel.

#David G

There are no 1967 borders - only 1949 armistice lines.

# mikk

The PLO have not been exactly innocents since they failed to grasp the opportunity first afforded them in 2000. You sow what you reap. as I wrote - that was the PLO prerogative for which they have paid a high price.

Maybe they will be a little more amenable in the current negotiations - although I doubt
It very much.
#plantagenet

This World Bank report was not influenced by Israel as the following acknowledgements make clear:

"This report was prepared and written by a team of World Bank staff led by Orhan Niksic, Senior Economist (MNSED) and also included Nur Nasser Eddin, Economist (MNSED) and Massimiliano Cali, Economist (PRMTR). Duja Michael, a consultant, assisted the Bank team in conducting research and analysis for the report.
The report benefited considerably from overall guidance and comments provided by Mariam Sherman, The World Bank Country Director for West Bank and Gaza, Manuela Ferro, Director (LCRVP), Bernard Funck, Sector Manager (MNSED). The following peer reviewers also provided most valuable comments: Dr. Salam Fayyad, former Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Kaspar Richter, Lead Economist (ECA PREM), John Nasir, Economic Adviser (OPSPQ), Tracey Lane, Senior Economist (SASGP). Furthermore, much gratitude for time and efforts to enhance the quality of this report is owed to Shanta Devarajan, Chief Economist (MNACE), Nigel Roberts, (former West Bank and Gaza Country Director), Tara Vishwanath, Lead Economist (MNSED), Nandini Krishnan, Economist (MNSED), Ranan Ibrahim Rafat Mutfahar, Operations Officer, (MNCGZ). Undoubtedly, this report could not have been produced without the data, information and insights provided by colleagues in the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of the Palestinian National Authority, Ministry of Planning of the Palestinian National Authority, Nicola Harrison (UNRWA), Rana Hannoun (FAO), Bader Rock, Private Sector and Trade Adviser (Office of the Quartet Representative), and several prominent representatives of the Palestinian private sector."

I repeat - the Report would never have been written if the PLO had signed a peace treaty with Israel in 2000/1 or 2008.

"as I wrote - that was the PLO prerogative for which they have paid a high price."

as I wrote - a disgusting israeli inflicted "high price" of war, destruction, terror and death. Blackmail in other words. Do what we want or we will destroy your society and then you.

Why should the Palestinians be any more "amenable' to israels bully tactics, war crimes and extortion than they were last time.
israel controls the west bank, economy and all. If it is failing then israel and israel alone is to blame. How long before the EU confronts this fact and does something about it. Maybe that is why they have stopped sending good money after bad in donations to the Palestinians.

The real problem is israel, always has been.
And the world is finally waking up to it.
Sanctions Now!

Thankyou David Singer

For naively quoting economists' claims to infallible objectivity.

Need I remind you how economists in 2006 overwhelmingly recommended sub-prime geared securities as good investments...

Any banker-economist is sensitive to his political surroundings.

Organisational and academic economists are influenced by political attitudes of the countries in which they live and by the conventional wisdom of the times.

A measure of the World Bank's lack of neutrality is that World Bank President's without exception have been Americans since that Bank began to function in 1946 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_bank#List_of_Presidents .

You're biased concerning Palestine for glaringly obvious reasons.

Pete

David Singer,

"The PLO has made its bed. It has to live with the consequences."

Drivel, the Zionists made that procrustean bed from plans made more than a century ago, the Palestinians certainly have to live with the consequences.