“Economic output in the Gaza Strip [...] declined perhaps one-third between 1992 and 1996” Source: CIA World Factbook. What happened in 1994 - Arafat and the PLO took over control of Gaza. Therefore, unless you can prove otherwise with specific quarterly information, one will have to assume, based on precedent of economic trending under terrorist control, that the PLO are fully responsible for the decline. Hamas did a pretty damn good job in destroying Gaza's economy and that took only 6 months.

1) Gush Katif was hardly an "illegal settlement" which Haniyeh pointed out in 2005 after the Israeli withdraw when he noted cause for celebration that Hamas "forced Israel to leave Jewish land". Let's not forget that Jews were forced off of it in 1948 to escape the Egyptian army. 2) Amira Hass is hardly an objective resource. Almost as "factual" as your use of wikipedia. You fail to mention that 2000 was the year of Arafat's intifada and many civilians - women, children, students, medical patients - were used cynically in this failed war. Such a restriction is permittable in times of war, which no one denies this was. Today, the war is with Hamas in Gaza, which made the declaration in 2007. Gazan exports/imports were dealt a serious blow in 2000 because of the Intifada. That was a self-declared war against Israel so in that case, Israel had no obligation to continue playing nicely. Per Intl law, Israel still maintained control over Gaza BECAUSE it was not a sovereign nation and this was enshrined in the 1994 Oslo accords with Arafat. As much as you try to sanitize the issues Matty, your "facts" lack very real context and clearly tried to dissuade the reader from the bigger picture, which is Arab intransigence and racism for the past 90 years.

or carry guns, bats, slingshots, and metal pipes? I believe Muslims and the rest of the world have a very different idea of what "peaceful" is. Notice that ONLY the ship full of Muslims did IDF soldiers get attacked before ever boarding the ship. Also, no other ship in the flotilla had activists announce ahead of time their willingness to be violent towards the IDF or welcome matyrdom. And guess what....every other confrontation between these ships of non-Muslims and the IDF ended peacefully. Coincidence? Nope. Just facts of Islamic terror and racism.

"Palestine" is that provincial region in Syria which Herodotus referred to.

Because it seems that Gazans aren't really lacking for much lately, except true freedom from Islamic oppression. You might disagree with the siege as it is but do you also disagree with the war crimes of rockets on your fellow countrymen? Before you retort with the canned speech of "justified resistance" and "only because of the siege", I want to remind you that these war crimes by Hamas has continued for 7 years before the siege was enacted. If you truly cared for Gazans, you could offer a balanced approach like - more import/exports with Intl forces watching ALL building material usage and ensure against weapons of any time. Though, your ilk does not offer that. They want only an end to the blockade - legal by Intl laws mind you - without regard of the bloodshed it will bring and the lack of economic growth for Gazans you would expect. No country grows under terrorist oppression and as long as Gaza is a base of operations for a group that declared war on a sovereign neighbor, Gaza will never grow. But in Tel Aviv, who cares as long as ecstasy and cappuccinos flow like water, eh?

Does it matter who destroyed the greenhouses? Hamas or the Pallie citizens? they are the same. The greenhouses were ransacked, stripped of their glass, wiring, computer & electronic equipment & irrigation pipes & timers. The burning of Netzarin Synagogue by Palestinians ( an act of destruction which was contrary to all international law & norms) began within minutes of the last Israeli soldiers leaving Gaza in the early hours of Monday,September. 12.2005. No the greenhouses were not up & running after a month as you will see from the last picture of this link. http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/ExodusFromGaza.html I consider Tom Gross a very reliable media source.