Israel Matzav

Let them eat cake!

We keep hearing that there's a 'humanitarian crisis' in Gaza and that the 'poor Palestinians' there are starving because the 'evil Israelis' won't let them out to murder Jews. Apparently not.

The Jerusalem Post is reporting this morning that the Hamas junta running Gaza has banned all imports of Israeli fruits and vegetables into the polluted, 'starving' strip. The move is expected to cost Israeli farmers NIS 3-5 million per day (approximately NIS 4.20 = $1). I wonder who was paying that NIS 3-5 million per day. Could it be that the Israeli taxpayer will save that money and gain a bonus by having our market flooded with cheap fruits and vegetables? Hmm.... (The answer to the second question is yes, unless the farmers decide to destroy the fruit and vegetables to maintain prices).

What this is about is that the 'Palestinians' are unhappy with the use of the Kerem Shalom crossing, which the UN has been using to provide food and other staples to the 'Palestinians' now that the Erez and Karni crossings are closed (see map above).

Israel and the UN have begun to rely on Kerem Shalom and Sufa, which are easier to secure because they are slightly set back from the border. Even then, said Dror, there have been almost daily mortar attacks on Kerem Shalom, while according to Eshel, Sufa is not suitable for transporting most produce as the high levels of dust in that area could easily damage delicate fruits and vegetables.

On average, approximately 500 tons of fruit, including bananas, apricots, plums and avocados, are moved into the Gaza Strip every summer.

In other words, Hamas is only willing to feed its own people if it means that its terrorists have a chance to take shots at Israelis.

The other issue is that Hamas wants to hurt Israeli farmers in the hope that the Israeli government will abandon the Negev like it abandoned Gaza:

"This is just a political move on the part of Hamas," said Agriculture Ministry director-general Yossi Yishai.

"[Hamas] will not close the border to necessities such as milk and bread, but this move is just seeking to inflict as much damage as possible on Israeli farmers."

What's left unsaid here is that when Israel controlled the Gaza Strip as much as 70% of our produce came from it. When Israel left Gaza in 2005, James Wolfensohn and Bill Gates purchased the Gush Katif greenhouses from Israeli farmers for the 'Palestinians.' That should have been an obvious 'long-term economic gain' for the 'Palestinian people.' But the 'Palestinians' who support Hamas used the Gaza hothouses bought for them by Bill Gates and James Wolfensohn by digging weapons tunnels through them instead of for growing food like Israel did. Hamas could have been growing its own food and not be dependent on importing produce from Israel.

I know: Let them eat cake!

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:25 AM