It's not often that a feedback post in Ha'aretz actually cheers me up, much less one from a Palestinian writer. But this one - in response to an article saying that the EU/World Bank money is starting to trickle through into Gaza and the West Bank - did.
Title: Give food, medicine and work, not money
Name: George
As a Palestinian, I ask that those who support my people give only food, medicine, medical equipment and tools to help further our scientific (not religious) education. Rebuilding a power plant is a good step but most of all we need jobs. I don't know of even one European manufacturing factory based in Gaza or the West Bank. Any donated (cash) money will quickly disappear into the Swiss Bank accounts of our corrupt politicians and will also be used to build more Kassam factories in Gaza and purchase weapons on the black market from Iran and Syria (though Lebanon and Egypt). Anything but jobs in Gaza and the West Bank (and abroad) will contribute more to the vicious circle of violence, not less. Is Sweden ready to build a new Volvo or Saab car plant in Jabalia ? Can Egeland pledge to employ 10,000 Palestinians to work in Norwegian and North Sea offshore drilling operations ?
Absolutely. Negotiate with Abbas, negotiate with Olmert, get a guarantee from Israel that there will be a 'hands off' approach to any such enterprise and a free flow of goods, get an agreement from the PA that the security team overseeing the building of the factory and (later) the day to day comings and goings of the employees and goods will be Israeli, or at the very least Europeans vetted by, overseen by, and under the control of Israelis.
You think that's hard, to be searched every day on your way in to work? S'funny, in Israel (or at least, the parts of Israel I know) it's almost impossible to move around without being searched somewhere along the line, but people here cope with it because we all know it's necessary. We're watched like hawks, too. Why should the society responsible for Israel's security problems be trusted while we still can not?
So there it is. And BTW the only Palestinian George I know is a Coptic Christian, so going by the name of the writer his is unlikely to be the prevailing view amongst the Muslim majority. It's still a good idea, with the provisions as above, it would go a long way towards helping the Palestinian people without inadvertently supporting their terrorist elements, it would help build an element of trust and co-operation between Israel and Europe (not to mention Israel and Gaza) - and it's probably do-able.
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