Samir Abdallah breaks the silence

The serious socio economic situation in Gaza and Cisjordan is the result of the blockade that Israel has imposed since 1967.
A few days ago we had a deep and interesting conversation with the Palestinian National Ph. D in Economics, Samir Abdallah, in order to understand more about the development of the economy in the region during the conflict.

  

1. At this moment, how is state of the Palestine economy?

Nowadays, the Palestine economy is paralyzed due to the constant Israeli invasions of the autonomous areas of Palestine, that restrain the development of our  national economy.

2. That means that the standstill of the economy in the area is because of (owing to) the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

Yes, the restrictions against the Palestine economic development  have caused the excessive emigration, and a migration workforce also, from Palestine to Israel. The crisis is getting worse in the autonomous Palestine areas and in the occupied territories, because, unfortunately my country depends on the economy of Israel.

3. Since when that standstill has been happening?

Since 2007, The Tel Aviv government maintain a siege against gaza, restraining people from exercise their main rights, for example, their labor rights, educational rights, health care rights and the most important one: the freedom of movement.

4. What is the unemployment rate caused by the standstill in the Palestine economy?

The rate is approximately 37% in adults. Our economy does not produce more than 1,000 jobs per year while the workforce growth just in 16,000 people every year, without job the Palestinian have only two options: a job in Israel or emigrate to another country.

5. So, the conflict caused a Palestine dependency of Israel.

Evidently, the conflict caused a political and financial dependency and because of that the 30% of the workforce depends of Israel, and in Gaza this percentage increased to a 50%. 70,000 of the Palestinian in Cisjordania and 50,000 of Gaza work daily in Israel according to sources of the Palestinian sindicalist.The number of Palestinian workers increased tenfold since 1976 and 600,000 palestinian depends of the Israeli labor market.

6. What would happen if Cisjordania became part of Palestine again?

If Palestine have access to a more than a half of Cisjordania, besides others resources, for example the fruitful soil for agriculture placed in the occupied territories for the Israeli regime, our GDP could grow in a third, thinking about the actual GDP of Palestine. If Israel take back the restrictions and the area of Cisjordania was returned, the annual incomes could increase in 800,000,000, and this could reduce the fiscal deficit in 50%, and eventually reduce the dependency of others countries.

7. You could say at this moment that the Palestine economy have been sustain by the resources of others countries?

Yes, at this moment Palestine depends economically on Iran, because Egypto stopped to sustain our public expenditures. Sweden has become a financial support for the refugee community contributing with 200,000,000 for the next five years. And at the same time the European Union contribute with humanitarian help to Gaza but exempted from financial help.

8. According to your point of view, is it correct to say that worldwide there is a strong recognition of Palestine as an autonomous State?

Through the years our State has been recognized by a big portion of the world’s population, including more than 130 countries around the globe. For us this recognition is very important, because it helps us to rectify our image as an autonomous and independent State facing the Zionist Israeli oppression.

9. From this recognition has emerged a strong campaign in rejection of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory. The campaign called BDS stands for the boycott, divestment and sanctions to the Economy of Israel. This NGO criticizes the famous people that do campaigns in favor of the Israeli companies that are located in the occupied territories, but those companies have declared that they are not doing anything wrong because they are employing Palestine people. What is your reaction to this situation?

The fact that they are using the same argument that was used to defend the South African Apartheid is really disturbing. During those years people used to say that the boycott would be prejudicial to the South African workers, but that turned out to be a lie. Giving to the people some jobs while other people are occupying their land and stealing their homes is not a way to make progress in this situation. The Palestine labor unions and workers have expressed clearly when they said: ‘We want freedom, we demand justice. Those are our main demands.’ You cannot place people in a captive economy and tell them: ‘You have a few jobs, you should be very happy.’ The main demand of the Palestine people is the end of the occupation of their territories and the end of the apartheid. Palestine workers prefer to live in freedom, with dignity and justice instead of having those jobs. In fact, they do not have another option because the Palestine economy is in custody.

10. And what happen with the divestment and the sanctions to the Israeli companies that are not located in the occupied territories?

The campaign also incites to condemn the Israeli companies that are not in the territories in conflict. This is because of the Settlement Policy and the occupation that comes directly from the State of Israel; it was a direct decision of the government. We resist this system that discriminates the Palestine citizens of Israel that live as a third class citizens in their own country. We also resist to the occupation and we claim the right of return to the refugees. We are really satisfied with the recent call to boycott the illegal settlement, but the BDS campaign not is only against these settlements –considered illegal by the international legislation- but it also claims for the freedom, the justice and the equality for the Palestine nation.

11. Do you believe that this campaign has possibilities to make a change for the situation that Palestinian people are living?

Yes, it is a powerful tool because it gives the opportunity to people around the world to claim responsibilities to their governments and their companies to stop being accomplice of the Israeli crimes against the Palestine people. Before, the people used to talk about the human rights violations against the citizens of Palestine, they could watch it on TV, or in the news, but they did not know what to do to help. The BDS campaign gives them a tool to act, to say to their governments: ‘You cannot do this on our behalf’. It returns the power to the people.

12. And, keeping in mind everything that we have talked about in this interview, what would happen with the economy if the regions of Palestine and Israel were divided by a borderline? And, if Palestine became part of Israel?

It is not a viable option the possibility of Palestine becoming part of Israel, neither for our people nor for our economy. Being part of Israel would destroy everything that we have built through the years as a community. What our nation wants is to recover the territories that we have lost due to this war, in order to recover the economy so that we would not depend on the financial supply from other nations and organizations.