Agricultural Development in the West Bank (ص 55)

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Agricultural Development in the West Bank (ص 55)

المحتوى

9
turing forty years of Uritish mandate, during most of which
Palestine was run by pro-zionist governors, the British promise
was duly honored. Through enormous support from the Mandatory
Government, the Jewish population in Palestine rose from 84,000
(11 percent of total) owning 2 percent of land area in 1922 to
(06,000 (33 percent of total) owning 8 percent in 1946.
On Novenber 29, 1947 the United Nations General Assenbly passed
2 resolution recommending the partition of Palestine into two
States, one Arab occupying 42 percent of the total area and
another Jewish alloted a share of 57 percent. Jerusalem and
Bethlehen were to remain under U.N. administration.
Arabs and Moslems outside Palestine were vehenently opposed to the
partition plan, which stimulated their generally unstable regimes
to pledge their "brotherly" support to hopeful Palestinians.
Consequently, armed hostilities erupted. In May 1948 Britain
withdrew from Palestine and the Jewish National Council declared
the foundation of the State of Israel. The subsequent months
witnessed a series of military failures for the Arab forces.
At last, and after Israeli forces extended their control well
beyond the partition plan, the war was stopped and bilateral
armistice treaties were signed with Israel at Rhodes in 1949.
Heing the custodian of the eastern front, and in response to
British pressure and promises, King Abdullah of Trans-Jordan gave
to Israel at Rhodes 450 square kilometres of the area under his
control, which by then had come to be known as the West Bank.
B 1950 Palestine had been dismantled into three separate political
entities; Israel, the Kest Bank, and Gaza Strip. The West Hank
100
was annexed to Jordan, so fulfilling King Abdullah's ambitions
for a viable kingdom. The Gaza Strip, on the other hand, was
put under Egyptian mandate awaiting further developments.
The West Bank economy prior to 1950
The economy of the country under the British witnessed a limited
growth in the service sectors connected with the government,
agriculture and handicraft industries. However, it was clear that
resources allocated for development purposes in Arab communities
were far smaller than those allocated to Jewish communities.
Gnsequently, there was a growing trend towards a division of
labour whereby Jewish immigrants took over most industries,
international trade and banking. Arabs, on the other hand, were
left largely with peasant forns of agriculture, saall businesses,
public service and workshop industries.
The economy of the interior part of Palestine, which was to become
later the West Bank, was more retarded than that of other parts.
Its population density was considerably higher, since it encompassed
‘one third of Palestine's Arab population inhabiting only one fifth
Of the total area. furthermore, land in that region was of poor
topography and least endowed with water resources.
On the whole, therefore, West Rank society prior to 1948 was
characterized by a subsistence peasant economy which was heavily
dependent for its survival on its economic ties with more
Prosperous parts of Palestine.
Transition to Jordan
Due to its integral affiliation with other parts of Palestine,
the West Bank faced major problems when it was suddenly severed

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Agricultural Development in the West Bank

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المنشئ

Hisham Masoud Awartani

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