The PA representatives are, currently, Hamas. Israel is backsing, arming and aiding an unelected government in Ramallah. Perhaps you would argue that Israel and Hamas are currently incompatible. Fair point. But your statement that Israel backs the elected PA is utterly false. It backs the corrupt element.

Secondly, Palestinians workers were not unionized or paid good wages in Israel. They were continuously and systematically exploited.

Thirdly, your assertation that there were no checkpoints prior to the outbreak of the second intifada is laughable. They have been in use for decades, and the policy of closure and increasing checkpoints began in 1989, as did the policy of revoking Palestinian working permits en masse.

Fourth, comparing the growth of the Palestinian economy with that of the Israeli economy reveals an acute amount of stupidity. There is no independent Palestinian state to control this economy. It is, and has always been, regulated by the occupation. That is the nature of occupation.

Finally, you circle around the key issue far better than my logic does, particularly since I have brought it up twice. Israel occupies the Palestinian people and colonizes their land. That is the reason why there is no functioning Palestinian economy.

Yes, the Palestinian economy was MUCH stronger before the intifada, in addition to which 250,000 Palestinians worked in Israel, most of them were unionized and paid good wages.

After the intifada began, Israel had to start revoking permits for Palestinians to work in Israel, because these permits were being abused by terrorist groups you support to murder innocent people. Checkpoints were created to stop terror attacks, and they work, just like in Iraq, Afghanistan, Ireland and everywhere else! They also destroyed Palestinian economic life.

No terror, no need for checkpoints. They were never used before the intifadas. There were no checkpoints then. Israelis could easily go to Pali villages and Palis could easily come to Israel.

Palestinians destroyed their own economy, while Israel is growing by more than the entire Pali economy every single year. It is now the biggest non-hydrocarbon economy in the region, except Turkey.

The Palestinian economy was stronger before the intifada, yes. It was consequently destroyed by the Israeli occupation, which was the cause of the intifada in the first place.

Furthermore, anyone attempting to do business in West Bank today knows how difficult it is. You need to bribe ten different PA people just to get the right permits, licenses, export papers. Half the economy is monopolized into PA controlled corporations that snuff out any competition. And that’s all before repeating the process with the Israeli side.

Only a moron could look at these numbers and deduce what you just did. Israel occupies the West Bank and Gaza. Thats why those territories face economic devastation.

Take a look at these economic numbers:

West Bank/Gaza:

-GDP (purchasing power parity): $5.034 billion (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)

GDP – real growth rate: -8% (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)

GDP – per capita (PPP): $1,100 (includes Gaza Strip) (2006 est.)

Israel:

-GDP (purchasing power parity): $185.9 billion (2007 est.)

-GDP – real growth rate: 5.3% (2007 est.)

-GDP – per capita (PPP): $25,800 (2007 est.)

These numbers indicate that Israel’s economy is expected to grow by $9.85 Billion this year, or almost DOUBLE the ENTIRE size of the West Bank/Gaza economy, not counting for a -8% growth rate for the Palestinians!!!

Only a moron could look at these numbers and say that the Palestinians have made smart choices about how to invest their national capital the past decade. Yet, Hamas keeps building rockets and ak Aqsa still manufactures bomb belts. This people are on the verge of self destruction.

Traitors! Sellouts! Collaborators!