Palestinians are being robbed by Israel

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"IT IS EVIDENTLY difficult to scrub off the sticker that is glued onto the front window. That's why when a new car from Germany or South Korea or the United States rolls onto the packed streets of Gaza or Ramallah, it generally has the big label with thick, red Hebrew letters forming the word "Checked" stuck on its windshield for several months.

The label is a mark of the special customs and security checks conducted at the Israeli seaports of Ashdod or Haifa, which serve as the main entrances for most of the foreign goods bound for the West Bank and Gaza. Palestinians import all sorts of products: water pumps from Sweden, bulldozers and boxes of corn flakes from the United States, plastic toys from China, washing machines from France and cheese from Denmark — and virtually all of them reach their destinations only after they've been through Israeli port authorities and Israeli security checks.

At the ports, Palestinian importers are required to pay the Israeli authorities the value-added tax of 17%, as well as whatever custom taxes are due on goods that come in on their way to the West Bank or Gaza. These transactions (along with direct Palestinian transactions with Israeli firms and merchants) last year yielded revenues of $711 million.

But whose revenues are they?

To judge by the actions of the Israeli Cabinet on Sunday, the money belongs to Israel. The Cabinet announced that it was going to withhold Palestinian tax and customs revenues, at least for the moment, as a response to Hamas' electoral victory. Until the money is released — if it is released — the Israeli treasury will earn the interest."

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[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. first of their land, then their freedom, then their fields, and now $$$$

The lack of reaction by the US is predictable and lamentable. To the contrary, Little Miss Leather-Rice supports Irael in their upping the pressure.

Can they not figure out that increased pressure CAUSED the Hamas election? Are they truly that dumb?

[pelsar]

2. perhaps ignorence?

the palestenains...at least according to the palesteanins, voted for hamas cause they had enough of the PAs corruption...sorry if that ruins a great narration...nothing to do with israel, the US or anything else, just their own internal politics.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. I do not doubt that at all. And the PA was corrupt. But Hamas built

schools, trained teachers, built hospitals, trained nurses and sent folks to get medical training, built housing for the old and infirm.
That was the vast majority of Hamas' works.

Still, condi called them terra-ists, therefore that is all they are. Sad, sad and disgusting that Israel is making a bad situation much, much worse.

[pelsar]

4. big deal...what condi called them...

nothing to do with hamas being elected...nor what israel did or did not do.....keep to the facts

[Coastie for Truth]

5. So did Chabad Lubavitch

Chabad built schools, trained teachers, built hospitals, trained nurses and sent folks to get medical training, built housing for the old and infirm.
That was the vast majority of Chabad's works.


So? What does it prove.

[occuserpens]

6. This is called the "Iron wall"