(Jerusalem Post) Nina Gilbert - The PA economy showed marked improvement in 2004, with a decline in unemployment and poverty, Maj.-Gen. Yusef Mishlev, the IDF's coordinator of activities in the territories, told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Wednesday. Mishlev described the Palestinians as "worn out, tired, depressed, and totally broken down," and said they were anxious for change. He emphasized that they are optimistic about the future. He noted that 300 aid organizations operate in the PA that employ 25,000 and contribute $788 million to the economy. Mishlev said PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas is making efforts to combat the problem of anarchy, but in some cases some of his security personnel are not cooperating. The main problem areas are Nablus and Jenin. Mishlev noted that the PA school system has been instructed to reduce hostile terminology against Israel. Some of the maps in the schools have begun to show the borders of the PA. However, one example shown to the committee from a third grade class showed all of Israel and the Golan Heights as Palestinian territory.
2005-03-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive