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| PAJU (Palestinian and Jewish Unity) #342 AUGUST 31, 2007 A RUINOUS OCCUPATION ! Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza costs nine billion dollars a year Nine billion U.S. dollars. That is the yearly cost of Israel’s occupation of Palestine, according to Israeli economist Shir Hever. The cost is so ruinous, according to Mr. Hever, that it will eventually force the Israelis to change course. "The cost of the occupation is so high that it is destroying many of Israel’s societal institutions and structures," he states. "However, I do not believe that the occupation will end for purely economic reasons. Only the continued resistance of the Palestinian people will bring about an end to the conflict while economic pressure will almost certainly hasten the end of the occupation." Shir Hever has also evaluated the occupation’s impact on the West Bank, Gaza and on East Jerusalem, where many businesses have already closed their doors. The researcher’s latest publication provides the first analysis of the economic impact of Israel’s "separation wall" on East Jerusalem. According to his report, the wall costs the Palestinians of East Jerusalem approximately 194 million dollars a year. Their total cost since the wall’s construction in 2002 amounts to 1.2 billion dollars. According to this economist, the lives of over 200,000 people are negatively impacted by the wall every day. As a result, the average annual income of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem has fallen by 17.5% since construction of the wall began. Hever refuses to be pessimistic about a possible end to the occupation conflict. However, he believes that international pressure must be focused on Israel to bring this about. Israeli awareness of Palestinian suffering will not, on its own, change Israeli attitudes. "Once the occupation is over, Israeli attitudes will likely change. Shir Hever does not hide the fact that he favours a boycott of Israel. The economist stresses the fact that "people in Israel are afraid of a boycott because like the occupation it can really affect them adversely. This is, in fact, the main reason to completely boycott Israel. A boycott will force Israelis to pay a heavy price for their brutal and illegal occupation of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem. A boycott will help bring justice to the Palestinians and peace to both the Palestinians and the Israelis. That is why we must boycott Israel NOW! Adapted from "Une occupation de neuf millards de dollars" written by Amélie Tendland and posted on the website of the Canadian human rights organization Alternatives. Distributed by PAJU (Palestinian and Jewish Unity) www.pajumontreal.org |