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02/25/2005:

"Hidden costs of Israel's occupation policies"

Israelis are paying a high but rarely acknowledged economic and social cost for nearly 40 years of occupation, says a report commissioned by Oxfam published today.

The report says that military spending, the cost of Jewish settlements to colonise Palestinian land, and the collapse of tourism and other enterprises because of the two intifada, have severely undermined the economy and greatly increased poverty.

The report by the Adva Centre in Tel Aviv, which monitors social and economic trends, concludes that the consequences go deeper, skewing Israeli politics and creating a more divided society.

It says: "The second intifada has hurt Israel deeply, resulting in a cessation of economic growth, in a lowering of the standard of living, in the debilitating of its social services, in the dilution of its safety net, and in an increase in the extent and depth of poverty.
Full Article: guardian.co.uk