News Analysis: Dividing W. Bank undermines Palestinian economic growth

As the Palestinians marked the 40th Land Day on Wednesday, they stressed that the Israeli controls and restrictions in the West Bank have further undermined the Palestinian deteriorating economy.

In March 1976, six Palestinians were shot dead by the Israeli police forces in protests against the Israeli confiscation of their lands in northern and southern Israel. Since then, the Palestinians commemorate the Land Day on March 30 with protests, strikes and demonstrations.

When the Palestinians signed Oslo peace accords with Israel in 1993, they temporarily accepted an Israeli classification of the West Bank into three major areas: A, B and C, but they did not realize that this would be one day a major challenge to deliver economic prosperity.

According to the agreement, area A is under the full control of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), area B under Israeli security control and Palestinian administration while area C, which consists more than 60 percent of the West Bank, is under full Israeli control.

A recent survey conducted by the West Bank-based Applied Research Institute showed that the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories caused losses that reached around 10 billion U.S. dollars. These losses were in natural and human resources, environment, industry and services.

According to the study, the Palestinian losses due to Israel's control on the natural resources of water, oil, agricultural lands and natural gas have reached 2.63 billion U.S. dollars. The Palestinians say Israel extracts everyday 800 barrels of oil from an oil well in an area in central West Bank.

Palestinian complain that Israel deprives them from any investment or use of the rich natural resources in area C.

A'kel Abu Qare'a, a Palestinian researcher, said the contribution in the Palestinian agricultural sector declined from nine percent in 1999 to four in 2015. He told Xinhua that this retreat was because of the Israeli restrictions imposed on water and free movement in area C.

"These restrictions obstruct any agricultural developments that boost the Palestinian economy and also restrict the opportunities of achieving (food) security and self-sufficiency in a fertile area like area C. This area can be a magical solution to the economic and financial crisis," he said.

Twenty-three years after signing Oslo accords with Israel, the Palestinians found themselves standing before an unprecedented Israeli escalation of lands confiscation and expansion of settlements, according to Jamal al-Omlleh, the director of the Palestinian Land Research Center, specialized in settlement affairs in the West Bank.

"Number of settlers in the West Bank has grown to 600,000 and the number was 150,000 before Oslo peace agreements were signed between the two sides in 1993," he told Xinhua.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the number of settlements in the West Bank reached 255. There are dozens of settlement outposts that right-wing Israelis are trying to legalize.

"The Israeli settlement policy aims at dividing the West Bank, blocking any geographical communication within the territory and undermining the opportunity of establishing an independent Palestinian state," al-Omlleh said.

The Palestinians had repeatedly complained that keeping this territorial classification would have negative effects and would keep a permanent de facto situation imposed by force. They hoped to end this situation and achieve a full Israeli army withdrawal from all the West Bank.

Several weeks ago, a senior Palestinian security delegation conveyed an official letter to Israel, demanding a full stop of the daily army raids on area A and the lift of all the restrictions on development in areas B and C.

The Palestinians threatened in their official letters that in case Israel neglected their demands, they would go for measures limiting ties with Israel. Such measures would be in accordance with the decision made by Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Central Council last year, including a severe of security cooperation.

PLO official Ahmed Majdalani told Xinhua that "Until now, Israel hasn't given any official response to the Palestinian letter," adding that "ending the Israeli measures and restrictions in the West Bank is a priority for the Palestinian leadership."

He went on saying that it is impossible to continue under such a situation which undermines PNA's physical performance on the ground. "The Palestinian leadership would never get back to transitional accords or deals and will not accept the daily raids and violations against our people," he said. Endit