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Abstract
The Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories since 1967 has many important economic aspects that are often overlooked. In this highly original book, Shir Hever shows that understanding the economic dimensions of the occupation is crucial to unravelling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hever rejects the premise that Israel keeps control over Palestinian territories for material gain, and also the premise that Israel is merely defending itself from Palestinian aggression. Instead, he argues that the occupation has reached an impasse, with the Palestinian resistance making exploitation of the Palestinians by Israeli business interests difficult, but the Israeli authorities reluctant to give up control.
With traditional economic analysis failing to explain this turn of events, this book will be invaluable for students, activists and journalists struggling to make sense of the complex issues surrounding Israel's occupation.
'Shir Hever has emerged as one of the most incisive analysts of the critical Israeli Left'
Jeff Halper, Director, The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD)
Table of Contents
| Section Title | Page | Action | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| COVER | Cover | ||
| CONTENTS | v | ||
| FIGURES, TABLES, AND MAPS | viii | ||
| ABBREVIATIONS | ix | ||
| PREFACE | xi | ||
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS | xiii | ||
| INTRODUCTION | 1 | ||
| 1 - BACKGROUND ON THE PALESTINIAN ECONOMY | 8 | ||
| DEPENDENCY | 8 | ||
| THE OSLO PROCESS | 11 | ||
| CORRUPTION IN THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY | 14 | ||
| PART I : SELECTED TOPICS IN THE ECONOMY OF THE OCCUPATION | 19 | ||
| 2 - INTERNATIONAL AID | 21 | ||
| AID EFFORTS TO THE PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES: HISTORICAL OVERVIEW | 21 | ||
| FOREIGN AID AND HUMANITARIAN AID | 23 | ||
| IS AID REALLY NEEDED? | 25 | ||
| CURRENT FOREIGN AID TO THE OPT | 28 | ||
| COMPARISON WITH ISRAEL | 32 | ||
| SOURCES OF FOREIGN AID | 34 | ||
| BENEFICIARIES OF FOREIGN AID | 35 | ||
| BENEFITS TO ISRAEL | 38 | ||
| CONCLUSION: EFFECTS OF FOREIGN AID | 40 | ||
| 3 - INFLATION IN THE OPT | 42 | ||
| INFLATION IN ISRAEL AND IN THE OPT | 43 | ||
| WHY IS PALESTINIAN INFLATION SO HIGH? | 45 | ||
| WHO BENEFITS FROM PALESTINIAN INFLATION? | 47 | ||
| THE OCCUPATION’S EFFECT ON ISRAEL’S CURRENCY | 49 | ||
| 4 - ECONOMIC COST OF THE OCCUPATION TO ISRAEL | 51 | ||
| ECONOMIC DISCOURSE ON THE COST OF OCCUPATION | 53 | ||
| GROWING AWARENESS OF THE COST | 55 | ||
| BREAKING DOWN THE COSTS | 56 | ||
| THE HIDDEN FACTS | 57 | ||
| CAREFUL CALCULATION | 58 | ||
| THE CALCULATION | 60 | ||
| SUMMING THE COST | 68 | ||
| SECURITY IMPLICATIONS | 68 | ||
| COMPARISONS OF TOTALS | 70 | ||
| COMPENSATIONS | 71 | ||
| WHO ACTUALLY PAYS THESE COSTS? | 72 | ||
| PROFITS OF THE OCCUPATION | 73 | ||
| CONCLUSION | 75 | ||
| 5 - TRENDS IN THE ISRAELI ECONOMY | 76 | ||
| REPORTS ON THE ISRAELI ECONOMY | 77 | ||
| WHY DOES ISRAEL APPEAR STRONG? | 78 | ||
| COMPARISON OF GROWTH RATE | 81 | ||
| THE ISRAELI EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN DECLINE | 85 | ||
| THE ISRAELI POLITICAL CRISIS: CAUSE OR SYMPTOM? | 87 | ||
| NOT A DEMOCRACY | 89 | ||
| DEMOGRAPHICS – THE SOCIOECONOMICSTANDING OF NON-JEWS | 91 | ||
| THE TRUE FACE OF THE LABOR MARKET | 93 | ||
| ISRAEL’S FOREIGN TRADE BALANCE | 95 | ||
| ISRAELI ECONOMIC DISCOURSE OF BLISS | 98 | ||
| CONCLUSION | 100 | ||
| 6 - CASE STUDY: THE WALLIN JERUSALEM | 103 | ||
| INTRODUCTION | 103 | ||
| EAST JERUSALEM BEFORE THE WALL | 106 | ||
| THE WALL’S HISTORY | 111 | ||
| THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WALL | 113 | ||
| THE EVERYDAY EFFECTS OF THE WALL | 114 | ||
| THE WALL IN ISRAELI DISCOURSE | 115 | ||
| LAND CONFISCATION | 116 | ||
| PRIVATIZATION | 118 | ||
| “SECURITY NEED” | 119 | ||
| THE MAKING OF THE WORKING CLASS IN EAST JERUSALEM | 119 | ||
| GAPS IN THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM | 120 | ||
| GAPS IN OCCUPATIONAL STATUS | 121 | ||
| MOVEMENT OF LABOR IN JERUSALEM AND THE QUALITY OF LIFE | 121 | ||
| DETERIORATING HEALTHCARE SERVICES | 122 | ||
| AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST | 123 | ||
| DIFFICULTIES IN OBTAINING GOODS | 124 | ||
| ARRESTED TRADE | 125 | ||
| DIMINISHED INCOME IN EAST JERUSALEM | 126 | ||
| IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WELFARE REFORM PROGRAM | 127 | ||
| HOUSING SHORTAGES | 129 | ||
| SEVERED FAMILIES | 129 | ||
| BEDOUIN TRIBES | 130 | ||
| GROWING PESSIMISM AND DISCONTENT | 130 | ||
| IMPORTANCE OF JERUSALEM EMPLOYMENT TO THE PALESTINIAN ECONOMY | 132 | ||
| BINATIONAL REALITY | 134 | ||
| CONCLUSION: THE ECONOMIC DAMAGE OF THE WALL | 135 | ||
| PART II: IMPLICATIONS OF THE ECONOMY OF THE OCCUPATION | 137 | ||
| 7 - BEYOND EXPLOITATION | 139 | ||
| “CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION” | 140 | ||
| MARXIST DISCOURSE ON THE ISRAELI OCCUPATION OF THE OPT | 146 | ||
| THE ISRAELI ANOMALY | 149 | ||
| EXPLOITATION | 152 | ||
| FILLING THE GAPS | 154 | ||
| OUTLINES OF BOURDIEU’S THEORY | 155 | ||
| DISTINCTION, SYMBOLIC CAPITAL, AND HABITUS | 158 | ||
| BOURDIEU’S THEORY AND THE OCCUPATION | 160 | ||
| SHORTCOMINGS OF BOURDIEU’S THEORY | 164 | ||
| OUTLINES OF AMARTYA SEN’S THEORY | 165 | ||
| SEN’S THEORY AND THE OCCUPATION | 167 | ||
| DRAWBACKS OF SEN’S THEORY | 170 | ||
| SEN AND VEBLEN – ENTITLEMENT AND SABOTAGE | 171 | ||
| OUTLINES OF INSTITUTIONAL THEORY | 171 | ||
| VEBLEN AND INSTITUTIONAL THEORY | 173 | ||
| CAPITAL BEYOND MEANS OF PRODUCTION | 174 | ||
| VEBLEN AND THE OCCUPATION | 175 | ||
| INSTITUTIONAL THEORY AND THE OCCUPATION | 176 | ||
| THE THEORY OF SHIMSHON BICHLER AND JONATHAN NITZAN | 179 | ||
| DRAWBACKS OF BICHLER’S AND NITZAN’S THEORY | 186 | ||
| “SABOTAGE” | 142 | ||
| 8 - THEORETICAL ANALYSIS AND BINATIONALISM | 188 | ||
| INTERNATIONAL INVOLVEMENT AND ISRAELI MARKETING | 188 | ||
| THE TWO-STATE SOLUTION | 193 | ||
| THE ONE-STATE SOLUTION | 196 | ||
| SCENARIOS OF CONFLICT | 197 | ||
| CONCLUDING REMARKS | 200 | ||
| NEGOTIATIONS AT A STANDSTILL | 192 | ||
| BIBLIOGRAPHY | 202 | ||
| INDEX | 221 |