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Source: http://news.ft.com/cms/s/262b2110-607d-11da-a3a6-0000779e2340.html
Optimism Fades for Rapid Gaza Economic Recovery
(Financial Times-UK) Harvey Morris - Almost three months after Israel left the Gaza Strip, optimism has begun to fade among some Palestinian officials and businessmen who hoped the withdrawal would bring rapid benefits to their shattered economy. Some say that even the rare successes, such as the speedy revival of agricultural production in greenhouses abandoned by departing Jewish settlers, represent a negligible contribution to restoring Gaza's economic fortunes. "Not a single investor has come to us since the Israeli disengagement," said Amr Hamad, Gaza head of the Palestinian Federation of Industries. "Frankly, they may be scared off by Gaza's negative image - the kidnappings and shootings." Some experts argue that a much-publicized project to continue export production at the former settler greenhouses may, in fact, have a negative effect on Gaza's welfare. Mohammed el-Bakri of the Union of Agricultural Work Committees said the production of crops such as strawberries and carnations meant Gaza was exporting its most precious commodity - water.