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OECD: Settlements weaken Israeli economy
Sever Plocker
Published: 15.08.11, 07:42
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1. E. Jerusalem and West Bank
David in Jerusalem ,   Jerusalem   (08.15.11)
A very significant proportion of the population in E. Jerusalem and the West Bank are the chareidi communities, such as in Ramot, Ramat Shlomo, Modi'in Ilit, and Beitar. This fact alone would explain the economic disparities.
2. No S**t
EGGM ,   Petah Tikva, Israel   (08.15.11)
The two largest settlements (Modi'in Illit and Beitar Illit) are Haredi, in East Jerusalem half the population is Arab, and in the Golan Heights—the Golan Druze. All of these populations are almost automatically below the poverty line. Overall they comprise about 40%–50% of the population in the above territories so the statistics are obvious. This does not mean that settlement harm the economy—the title of the article is just silly and irrelevant.
3. Divestment.
Aaron ,   Singapore   (08.15.11)
This article suggests that settlements are a liability but they are not detrimental to Israel's economy. In fact, this is the result of an active and political worldwide divestment campaign. To set things right the Israeli government must develop more profitable assets IN the settlements so that eventually productivity, and thus,GDP from the settlements increase, alleviating poverty outside the Green Line. The eventual goal is to make settlement industries as profitable as any other Israeli region.
4. So if all this BS is true
David ,   On this planet   (08.15.11)
give up all those parts and people of Israel away and live for ever rich in your own little dream. What a joke LOL
5. What a waste, 14.5 Billion NIS in 1967 alone.
Michael ,   California, USA   (08.15.11)
That's a lot of bread. All of it will be unrecoverable. It's time to abandon Yesha.
6. Interesting
Yoav ,   Vancouver, Canada   (08.15.11)
However, wouldn't the potential future resources and economic integration of those areas cause more growth? I am wondering why the OECD does not analyse the economic development prospects of those same areas. Given the innovations Israel has managed to produce up until now, there is nothing to say that the statistical information will hold true ten or 20 years from now. Hopefully.
7. A few remarks and oddities
Amihai ,   Yesha   (08.15.11)
-to include east jerusalem and the Golan is the best way not to convince israelis, thanks. And by including them in the cost for the budget, this study just proved that for 15% of the population, which are living in places with much more security-related costs juste take 10% of the budget. -the fact that the GDP is lower when including town over the green-line tell us above all that the population there is generaly more poorer than the rest of the state. And that's not suprising : most of them are young couple with children. Still, had they been living inside the green line it would have made no difference to the income GDP per capita... -in fact, this report prove that the towns over the green-line are a good place for poorer populations where they can lived at lower cost. And such helping the state, being a kind of backbone. -must not forget that trying to give up Yehuda and Shomron would cost so much in every way to the state that it would go back at least 25 years economically. The simple cost of removing the settlement would take at least 10 years of whole states budgets.
8. Remind me of Rabi Fogel asking there opinion.
Miron ,   USA   (08.15.11)
9. Whatever ...
Jules   (08.15.11)
.... the OECD says, housing construction outside the (non-existent in the PA books) "green line" tremendously help to resolve the housing problem. Jewish people building their homes in Judea - what can be more natural ?
10. Statistics will also show the inclusion of Muslim-Arab...
Jehudah Ben-Israel ,   Qatzrin, Israel   (08.15.11)
...villages in Israel, and the existing ultra-orthodox neighborhoods and towns throughout the country reduces substantially Israel's economic strength. Does that mean Muslim-Arabs should be expelled form Israel, and citizenship in the nation-state of the Jewish people must be prevented from Jews who adhere to their interpretation of Jewish teachings? Of course not!! By the same token, villages, towns and city neighborhoods throughout eretz israel (land of Israel) must remain, indeed even strengthen.
11. You would prefer hamass shooting missiles from a block away
Bunnie Meyer ,   Los Angeles, CA USA   (08.15.11)
instead of tens of miles away? You don't know how lucky you are to have the settlers give you a buffer zone.
12. How to lie with statistics
Raymond in DC ,   Washington, USA   (08.15.11)
When the Washington area was growing in population, where did most of the construction take place? That's right, in the surrounding suburbs - because land was available and it was cheaper. It's no different with the territories. The same applies to the "territories lowers the GDP per capita" argument. If Washington didn't count Anacostia and the city's south-east, or if Chicago didn't count its south side, yeah the city's income averages would be higher. So what? Would the city's income average be higher if one transplanted residents from those poorer quarters into the city center? There's also a circular argument regarding average incomes and cost of living. As a one-time federal employee, I received a "locality pay" increment only because the cost of living here is above average. So my "higher average income" didn't mean what the figures suggested.
13. statistics
David   (08.15.11)
On its very face, of course, the central contention of the study-- that Israel's GDP would be higher without settlements-- is of little meaning. Because even if it's true that Israel's GDP would be higher if the settlements were excluded from the economic figures-- (and I would of course reserve skepticism over any such claim without substantiation)-- with the exception of Arab East Jerusalem, there is no way that there will ever be an Israel without the residents of the settlements to which the report refers, whether or not the authors live to witness their generation's dreams of a territorially diminished Israel. Whatever territorial configuration Israel assumes, those people will always be among Israel's citizens-- hence the inapplicability of any exclusion of that sector from the data set, notwithstanding security and maintenance costs. And of course a settlement-free Israel is not a financially-free proposition-- though it's not surprising that the authors fail to mention the fact, given the conclusion they seem unsurprisingly eager to press. To the contrary, it would cost at least $100 billion not even including East Jerusalem, by the very population statistics cited in the report, under the assumption that the cost per resident would be the same as in the Disengagement of 2005 (and I would imagine that lost productivity would raise the costs even more). And the experience of 2005 would furthermore tend to contradict any suggestion that an evacuation would at all reduce the country's security burdens. No doubt the inclusion of Arab East Jerusalem, of course, adds to the nation's poverty rolls, and it's certainly unlikely that Israel would have to evacuate its residents in the event of a territorial surrender in the capital. And there's also little doubt that the income disparity between Arab and Jewish East Jerusalem is significant, though income disparity between other Arab and Jewish areas of the country is significant as well. But of course there's the rub, because the situation in East Jerusalem is without parallel anywhere in the "occupied" West Bank. Indeed it is not a "settlement," is not what people think of when they envision the "settlements," (with the exception of some especially partisan "specialists") and has no bearing on the actual economics of the Judea/Samaria settlement enterprise-- which I would imagine are quite different, hence an even greater disparity.
14. this study is insignificant. Israel is not viable
Frank ,   USA   (08.15.11)
with the 9-mile widst in its most vulnerable spot. The Arabs know it. The communities in Yesha are crucial..
15. biased journalism at its "best"
colonel_R ,   Ashdod   (08.15.11)
that seeks a headline. I bet the settlements + Golan heights WITHOUT East Jerusalem strengthen economy, but who cares as long as it fits with bashing the SETTLEMENTS and the evil settlers.
16. new areas
colin   (08.15.11)
Again we read that somebody is very biased and wants to belittle new areras. Does this idiot Sever Plocker not know that Israel was built on these "settlements" as he calls them.I live on a setllement Kiryat Anavim which is now considered Israel Plocker must go live in the arab country's and learn to stop his lies,untruths and falsehoods.
17. So what?
Ariel Brn Yochanan ,   Kfar Tapuah, Efraim   (08.15.11)
18. cynical use of OECD
Nadav   (08.15.11)
This report is obviously a result of pressure from the EU members in the OECD, otherwise why should it release such an irrelevant, one sided, pro-Arab report? Does it release reports about the impact of England's illegal occupation of Northern Ireland on the British economy? What about the occupation of Northern Cyprus and Kurdistan by Turkey? This report is complete BS. One can, in the same manner, also argue that if it were not for the Arab "citizens" of Israel, Israel's GDP, education levels, and labor participation and productivity would be among the highest in the OECD if not the world, BUT it's a topic that PC radical leftists in the EU would rather not talk about...
19. What is that logic??
Yossi ,   Ashkelon   (08.15.11)
You're right, we should focus only on Tel aviv area and give up every thing else so we will get the highest statistic ever.
20. bullshit article
maurice clebert ,   judea samaria israel   (08.15.11)
Judea Samaria, East jerusalem, and Golan heights are part of the JEWISH HOMELAND. why do ynet play the game of the arabs by delegitimizing Israel? I am proud of being part of the settlement entreprise and ready to pay more for the settlement development.
21. who is OECD really?
Ephraim ,   Tapuakh   (08.15.11)
It is a foreign international organization, surely wih biases and interests in robbing the Jewish people of Judea and Samaria.
22. now ask the ideological question?
jodhi ,   netanya   (08.15.11)
23. Lies, damn lies and statistics...
Mark ,   Lodz, Poland   (08.15.11)
...or elastic...stics. Severe Plonker and the OECD have failed to address that many of the settlers have chosen live where they do for religious and political reasons and not necessarily or primarily to raise Israeli GDP. I'm sure the vineyards of the Golan are doing a grand job at that, anyway.
24. There is only one logical conclusion.
Terry ,   Eilat - Israel   (08.15.11)
We must do more to develop the economy in Judea & Samaria, build more, & more fully integrate the area into the economy. This, of course, means annexing Area C immediately.
25. You know why this is a stupid article?
Terry ,   Eilat - Israel   (08.15.11)
Every country has areas that are less developed economically & for a great many reasons intrinsic to the area. According to the logic of this article, then countries should get rid of poor areas to improve statistics. Here's another example. Imagine a school system, some schools are excellent with very high test scores. Most schools are just average. Some shools, however, are very poor performers. According to the bizarre logic of this article, the poor performing schools should be thrown out of the system to improve the average. This is like saying that the way to eliminate poverty is to expel poor people from the country.
26. ahrab settlers
Jew   (08.15.11)
ahrab settlers harm economy.
27. tel aviv houseing
Jew   (08.15.11)
what about people in tel aviv? where should they go to live?
28. Lies, damn lies and statistics
Israel Israeli ,   Tel Aviv   (08.15.11)
This is a meaningless article. Because of the way the OECD does its calculations, any group of people with a large number of children per family is called poor. In Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem you have some large Haredi cities like Emanuel and Beytar. Including them in statistics automatically means that you reduce per capita income. Think of it this way: If Israel abandons Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, housing prices will skyrocket so anyone who owns a house will become rich overnight. The statistics will show that abandoning Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem makes make Israel richer.
29. Why not exclude Ethopians also, then your stats will look...
(08.15.11)
really good. Shame on Ynet, yet again, for their "news".
30. Play with statistics
Aviela ,   KochavYaakov, Israel   (08.15.11)
Sure, you can exclude large portions of the population in population surveys, but then you don't wind up with accurate numbers. Wouldn't Israel come out looking nicer if we left Kiryat Malachi, Shlomi and South Tel Aviv off the statistics?
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