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Eighty percent of the residents of Gaza find it difficult to cope with the situation there and are considering emigration, a survey by the Gaza-based Institute of Development Studies has found. Gazans are finding it progressively more difficult to deal with the economic situation there, according to the institute, and 44 percent said explicitly that they want to leave Gaza.
Economy 'Significantly Worse'
The findings of a Near East Consulting poll released Tuesday showed that some 94 percent of Gaza residents believe their economic situation under Hamas rule is significantly worse than it was before the terrorist organization took over the region. Hamas ousted the rival Fatah faction in what amounted to a civil war. Now Hamas controls Gaza; Fatah controls the PA areas of Judea and Samaria. In elections before the military coup a majority of the Arabs who live in those areas voted for Hamas.
The survey, which polled 900 Gaza residents, found that 64 percents of respondents live under the poverty line. More than two out of every five, (41 percent) said they would leave Gaza immediately if they could.
Originally posted by Master_Wii In elections before the military coup a majority of the Arabs who live in those areas voted for Hamas.
Eighty percent of the residents of Gaza find it difficult to cope with the situation there and are considering emigration, a survey by the Gaza-based Institute of Development Studies has found. Gazans are finding it progressively more difficult to deal with the economic situation there, according to the institute, and 44 percent said explicitly that they want to leave Gaza.
Has anybody noticed that the locals are entitled to democracy only as long as they vote for the right party?
BG Group in talks over Gaza Strip gas deal
Oil and gas firm BG Group said today it remained in talks over a potential deal to supply Palestinian gas to Israel.
According to the Times newspaper in England, BG Group is poised to agree the terms of an historic $4bn (€2.97bn) 15-year contract to supply Israel with gas farmed from off the Gaza strip.
BG, formerly part of British Gas, confirmed it was still in talks regarding a possible deal but warned that any deal depended on agreements being reached between the Israeli and Palestinian governments.
Why It Rains: Hamas holding 'Israeli' gas reserves hostage
An unexpected energy windfall on Israel's doorstep promises to resolve Israel's energy security concerns for years to come. Unfortunately for Israel, it is the Palestinian Authority that controls the licensing of these reserves. So, as Operation Summer Rains washes away the administrative and political structures in the occupied territories, has Israel decided to use Hamas as an excuse to dismantle the PA and seize its energy assets?
After the Iranian Revolution cut-off energy supplies in 1979, and the loss of Sinai's oil in 1982, Israel became dependent on expensive, long-distance energy imports. Towards the end of the 1990s, in an attempt to alleviate concerns over its energy security and reduce its dependency on imported oil, Israel decided to place a greater emphasis on natural gas. The architect of Israel's energy strategy at the time was Netanyahu's Minister of National Infrastructure, Ariel Sharon.
After Netanyahu's election defeat in 1999, Ehud Barak sought to take advantage of improved relations with Egypt to import some of Israel's gas from the Nile Delta [1]. There was, however, political resistance to the deal from within both countries and, when relations with Egypt began to deteriorate with the start of the 2nd Intifada and Sharon's subsequent rise to power, the $3 billion deal was put on the back-burner. However, the possibility of avoiding dependence on such a politically contentious source arose in 2000 when several energy companies, including British Gas (BG), announced the discovery of “significant deposits” of natural gas off the Israeli coast [2].
Estimated at 100 billion cubic meters of proven reserves, these discoveries potentially offer enough gas to meet Israel's goal of supplying 25% of its energy needs for more than 20 years - even without further imports [3]. The discovery has also raised realistic expectations of locating oil deposits beneath the gas fields.
Unfortunately for Israel, 60% of these reserves are in waters controlled by the Palestinian Authority, which has signed a 25-year contract with British Gas for further exploration in the area. Since this discovery, Israel has proceeded with the development of its reserves with the US-Israeli company Yam Tethys, but has been faced with an obvious dilemma over the Palestinian deposits [4]. Keen to secure the gas for its domestic market but unwilling to submit its sensitive energy supplies (and their profits) into the hands of the Palestinians, Israel has for the past 6 years pursued a policy of non-commitment, stalling and obstruction.
Another factor in Israel wanting to make life as difficult as possible for Gazan Palestinians could be to force the issue of energy-rights to the massive gas field discovered in 2000 just off the coast, and awarded legal ownership to the Palestinian Authority, much to Israel's chagrin.
First, I am most definitely biased.
Second - Arab citizens of Israel are treated as third class citizens, by establishment and elites. I can see a shift in desired direction, but it is very slow and fragile attempt.
Third - there is a land conflict because of mutual disregard of opponents position.
This said I just would like to ask - what "cleansing" of Arabs is Israel doing?
Israel was established in 1948 on territory that was not Palestinian . . few Arabs who considered them self as a Palestinians . .
However the issue is very complex ,carries a lot of emotional financial political [natural] resources problem and both sides think that compromise is a dirty word.
I can see no solution in the near future. When Oslo negotiations were beginning I had a discussion with Palestinian from Hebron. Arafat [ad] just arrived [in Oslo]. And then he tells me that NOW there will be no peace. He told me that he thinks Israel does not want peace because instead of making [peace] with locals, elders and respected members, they are making agreement with [Arafat]. [A]s time passes I see that he definitely was the smart one.
Duh? I always thought a Palestinian was an Arab who lived in Palestine?
Complicated? What’s giving back property that you took from another person without permission so complicated? Methinks you are obfuscating the real issue.
Really loved Mr Z/K thing!!!!
I just want to clarify myself on a few points. (1) For person driven away from his home it is natural to want to return to the land of his ancestors. And as it natural for Jews, it is the same for Palestinians. However what do you suggest as a solution? (2) Because on a land which was taken now lives someone else , maybe even born there. Drive him away too and the vicious cycle will continue, will it not? Not to mention that no Israeli politician will ever consider this step. So I see that financial compensation might be option.
As for cleansing - my handle is there for a reason. But I have the impression that settlements that will be on Palestinian lands will be removed, as they were in Gaza. I totally think that Israel has a major “Missionary Complex” case. It is very apparent here, in media and politics. Does not help, to say the least.
Sorry I could not respond earlier.
Your suggestion, in my opinion, is very good. It is no doubt much much better then what is going on now. However I am still pessimistic. It is so easy to derail those well-intended initiatives, and we (Israelis) and Palestinians have very good professional de-railers.
. . .There are powerful people on both sides whose power, status ,income and prestige come from current mess, and conflict finally being resolved is threatening those.
That is if we all survive 2012 (Too much time on ATS, I know . . . .) .Thank you for investing time and thought for trying to make our swamp better.
You must keep in mind that it is the US’s diplomatic reason d’etre to prevent the nationalization of the oil reserves of the Middle East. To make a good life possible for 150 million people. The seemingly endless Arab-Jewish Conflict fits into that scheme perfectly
posted by ZeroKnowledge
I will try to see into it as much as I can, but from what I understood US did not want to create Israel, USSR did.
And as for 2012 - I also do not take it seriously, having survived already several so called "ends of the world". Just tried to ease the post, which was too depressing.
I mean, I think that Hamas is a bigger threat to Palestinian Independence then Israel itself, but not meeting an influential politician because he meets Hamas leaders also - this is simply stupid.