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Gaza's Wasted Generation
(Washington Post) William Booth and Hazem Balousha - In the Hamas generation that grew up immersed in the rhetoric of Palestinian resistance, it is hard to find anyone in their 20s with real employment, with a monthly salary. Ten years after Hamas seized control of Gaza, its economy has been strangled by incompetence and war, with 60% unemployment among Gaza's young adults, the highest in the Middle East. The literacy rate in Gaza is 96.8%, higher than in the West Bank. Universities in Gaza are still pumping out graduates by the thousands. In many interviews, Gaza's young people today say they would rather fight for a job in Tel Aviv than fight Israelis. "If the borders were open, I'd work in Israel in a minute.... Everybody would work in Israel," said Iyad Abu Heweila, 24, who graduated with a degree in English education.