(Gatestone Institute) Amir Taheri - What turned Gaza into the hell-hole it has become wasn't economic hardship. In the first two quarters of 2023, the Gaza economy grew by 4% while that of the West Bank remained almost static. Thanks to generous donations by UNRWA, the EU, Qatar, the PA, repatriated income by 100,000 Gazans working abroad, including 25,000 working in Israel, and customs revenue from Israeli governments, Gaza had 36 hospitals and 3,500 hospital beds, figures that are per capita higher than those of Egypt and Jordan. Thanks to international aid and donations by wealthy Palestinians in Europe and the Americas, Gaza ranked ahead of Iran in percentage of GDP allocated to health and education. At the same time, Hamas did not need to fund its military and the tunnels it dug through taxation, as Tehran covered much of the cost. The writer was executive editor-in-chief of the daily Kayhan in Iran from 1972 to 1979.
2024-01-08 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive