[Ha'aretz] Amir Oren - Israeli officials stress the need to drive a wedge between the suffering population in Gaza and the radical, indifferent leadership, which is now sprouting symbols of high authority like those that characterized Fatah's rule; Ismail Haniyeh's motorcades are even longer than those of Yasser Arafat. Col. Nir Peres, who heads the Israel Defense Forces' Coordination and Liaison Administration at the Erez border crossing, has told the Palestinians that they face a choice between "flowers for export or mortar shells," "strawberries or Kassams." The data suggests that the Israeli occupation did well by Gaza. Life expectancy has risen from 48 years in 1967 to over 72 years now, higher than life expectancy in Egypt, according to a study by Daniel Nadav of the Defense Ministry, after Israel introduced its health-care system into Gaza.
2008-05-19 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive