If we knew what l?? Toccupation brings back - infinitely more that that we consider our political approach whole would be to be seen again.
Friend Kaufman (on his blog 972) and Emily Hauser ( Open Zion) were interested in the debate on the weight of l?? Toccupation in l?? Téconomie Israeli. As Amy notes it, it keeps pace with the debate on J14 (the movement of protest for the " social justice "). It is generally admitted in Israel where to end in l?? Toccupation and to the expensive project of colonization would relieve l?? Téconomie Israeli more than all the measures recommended by the opponents in l?? Toccupation.
As Friend and Emily say it, there is something cynical in this argument: we should?? Topposer in l?? Toccupation above all for moral reasons without report with what it costs or does not cost in Israel. I am everything made d?? Taccord with their position and c?? Test the answer which I give d?? Thabitude when we use of l?? Targument economic against l?? Toccupation. But I also want to examine here l?? Tassomption presents in the text d?? TEmily (and to a lesser degree in that d?? TAmi) according to which one l?? Toccupation is a burden for l?? Téconomie Israeli because I think that?? Such rests on an erroneous vision of the global current status quo.
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D?? Tabord it is necessary to say that?? Til is extremely difficult to calculate the real cost of l?? Toccupation because the Israeli budget treats both sides of the Green Line as a single entity. Furthermore, the partisan Ministers of the colonization (including those of the Plowing and Kadima) found average over the years d?? Tintégrer subsidies for the colonization of the West Bank in " d?? Tinnocentes " budget headings. The Minister of the transport, for example, subsidizes the routes by bus colonists what makes that?? Tun route longer than Jerusalem Tel Aviv returns to them the same price as?? Tun route in same. The Minister of l?? Téducation authorizes l?? Touverture of smaller classes in colonies. The colonists benefit from the biggest rate of state employees to their service - and all this do not appear in the direct investments of l?? Toccupation of the department of the accommodation or the Ministry of Defence.
There were several attempts d?? Tévaluer the cost of l?? Toccupation. In 2011, Shir Hever estimated the annual cost in 9 billion dollars étasuniens - which makes 1,175 dollar on average by Israeli. In 2007 several economists estimated the cost of the previous 40 years of control and d?? Toccupation of the West Bank and Gaza in 50 billion dollars. C?? Test centers him Adva d?? Tétudes socioeconomic which makes the most exhaustive searches on the question. They do not give "definitive" figure but their report of 2012 supplies interesting data in particular on the " special budget " of which l?? Tarmée Israeli benefited for the operations in the West Bank from 1989 till 2011 - approximately 13 billion dollars (the annual Israeli budget is approximately 100 billion dollars).
These data even partial are rich d?? Tenseignement when we compare them in l?? Tautre face of the budget: l?? Testimation direct and indirect profits that?? TIsraël fires of l?? Toccupation.
Anybody cannot reasonably deny l?? Texistence of these profits: that?? Tils is realized by the Israeli companies which exploit the natural resources of the busy territories - among the most symbolic examples, there is cosmetics Ahava and recent decree of the Supreme Court which authorizes l?? Texploitation careers of Palestine to satisfy the needs of Israeli market of l?? Timmobilier-or what?? Tils results from the captive market which the Palestinians represent for Israel (the usual products of Israeli marks flood the West Bank and Gaza). L?? Teau is one of get fresh ideas the most precious known The Middle East: at least 80 % of the groundwater of the Mountain - situated under the West Bank is reserved in l?? Tusage d?? TIsraël and of its colonies and only 20 % is granted to the Palestinians. (The Israelis consume on average 3,5 times more d?? Teau that the Palestinians.)
But the main economic profit that?? TIsraël fires of its control at the West Bank is as well invisible as the nose in the middle of the face - I want to speak about the most expensive and most desired resource here: the earth.
With the rise in prices of the earth in Israel of the last decades, the West Bank became a convenient source of grounds to build housing in the service of both Israeli metropolises Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Of new cities for the least rich Jews - In particular but not only Orthodoxes-was built in l?? Test of the Green Line. In the 1980s most of this housing were built in the northeast of Tel Aviv, near Qalqilia (" in 5mn of Kfar Saba "; as said the advertisement); the last two decades saw the constructions invading the southeast near Modi?? Tin and of l?? Tautoroute 443. Whole pieces of the West Bank became literally new suburbs of Tel Aviv.
The background d?? Turbanisme who planned l?? Textension of Jerusalem towards l?? Touest was abandoned (partially to protect l?? Tenvironnement - trees are apparently more important than the Palestinians); except in rare places, Jerusalem is?? Tétendre also in the North, in l?? Test and in the South, almost exclusively behind the Green Line. In the region of Jerusalem, half a million Jews live in the busy West Bank, and many d?? Tentre they in zones urbanized thanks to governmental subsidies. Imagine the cost of construction of this housing?? Tils was in same, especially near metropolises.
The control of the Palestinian earth engenders well d?? Tautres economic profits which I shall not detail here in a exhaustive way. But think, for example, of the highways which cross the West Bank to harm Israel: l?? Tautoroute north-south 90, which goes along the Jordan; l?? Tautoroute N 1 (is) who goes from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, and 443 which serves d?? Talternative very necessary in l?? Tautoroute constantly blocked which connects Jerusalem with such Aviv. Imagine what that would cost if all the Israeli cars with plate d?? Timmatriculation yellow (the Palestinians have it whites, ndt) had to by-pass the green line by l?? Touest instead of crossing occupied territories or if the Palestinians had the right d?? Tinstaurer a toll on these highways? And it n?? Test that?? Tun aspect of the control of the earth. The truth is that the control of the West Bank, East of Jerusalem and to a lesser extent Gaza, is for Israel a source of undeniable profits and which could even well be superior to the economic burden of l?? Toccupation.
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L?? Tabsence of debate on the profits of l?? Toccupation harm, in my opinion, in a good understanding of the strengths in presence in the conflict. We would understand better, for example, l?? Texpansion colonies who accompanied the agreements d?? TOslo. At the beginning of 1990s, the earth and the prices of l?? Timmobilier in Israel flew away because of l?? Timmigration from l?? Tancienne URSS. The solution for the governments, including the moderate governments, was to turn to the West Bank although, making it, them runs - circuitassent their own efforts to separate the West Bank d?? TIsraël. It n?? Test a coincidence if the Palestinian resistance burst to Bil?? Tin or in Nor?? Tlin what lands were seized to build housing for the Jews there, or if the ultra-orthodox population which was sent to this housing droitise more and more jusqu?? Tà?? Tidentifier almost in the movement of the colonists. Another important example is the blockade of Gaza: like that the logic was demonstrated in the newspaper Haaretz, which presides over the choice of authorized foodstuffs is economic and in connection with the interests of the farmers and the Israeli manufacturers. And nevertheless one n?? Tentend never say that the blockade of Gaza is in the service of the Israeli economic interests, we speak to us only about safety.
In fact, there is a deeper reason in the denial of the profits which get l?? Toccupation; she touches the way the Israelis - even those of left represent themselves the conflict: ignore the profits that?? TIsraël fires of l?? Toccupation allows to blur his colonial nature.
To consider l?? Toccupation as a burden allows to present the current situation as " a tragedy " which two peoples undergo and to hide the link between the political persecution of the Palestinians and their economic exploitation (the hand d?? Toeuvre cheap is the another source of profit of l?? Toccupation what I n?? Tai not spoken here). We repeat us that the colonial theory cannot?? Tappliquer even partially in the Israeli control of the West Bank and we give as proof the cost of the infrastructures that?? TIsraël built in the West Bank. But the colonialism always needed d?? Tinfrastructures expensive, and it not l?? Your never prevented from serving very well the interests d?? Tautres sectors of the occupying country.
The third reason to ignore the profitable side of l?? Toccupation c?? Test l?? Timplication that it would have on the legitimacy of penalties against all the Israeli company - a prospect that even the leftists (who myself) have difficulty in accepting.
It n?? Test not enough of?? Topposer in l?? Toccupation, it is also necessary to understand its power of seduction. J?? Tai already said formerly that?? TIsraël was attached to the status quo, particularly in what concerns the Palestinian question, as the drug-addict in his drug. I think that?? Money analyzes honest of the costs and the profits of the Israeli control of the West Bank would allow d?? Taffirmer that l?? Toccupation takes advantage Israel and what consequently a process which would be only?? Tinterne in Israel n?? Ty will never terminate.
Noam Sheizaf
To consult l?? Toriginal Http: // 972mag.com/the-profitable-occupation-an d-why-it-is-ne... :
Translation: Dominique Muselet
