Agricultural Development in the West Bank (ص 56)
غرض
- عنوان
- Agricultural Development in the West Bank (ص 56)
- المحتوى
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101
te form an entity of its om. The economic consequences of this
change were particularly grave, The Kest fark lost an inportant
market for its domestic produce and a source for a wide range of
Amputs. It lost access to all Mediterranean ports and had mich
Of its transportation and communication systens disrupted. ide
areas of fertile Land owed by Mest farkers were Lost inside the newly
established Jewish state and thousands of jobs were also lost.
The net econoaic impact of these drastic transfomations was
severe, but the situation worsened further due to ensuing
enographic shifts. The West fark received about 43 percent of
AI digplaced Palestinian refugees in the late 1940s, estimated at
(20,000. This almost tripled the population density on agricultural
land, raining {t from 200 to 580 persons per square kiloweter, and
At created excessive strain on scanty resources. The impact was
particularly severe during the erisis interval of 1948-52 when the
ost tank was plagued by extreme poverty, fanine and outbreaks of
epidemic diseases. The situation could rat have inproved mich
ith annexation to Jordan, which itself was until then an ertronely
npoveri shed desert kington,
‘Against this backoround, West Mane Palestinians enbarked on t%0
Adaptive survival nechanisns, emigration and higher education.
oth phenomena proceeded at a considerable pace and have later
become instrumental in shaping the socloveconomic Life in the
occupied territories. The Hashenite rule for 18 years gave
‘Additional Ampetus to both phenomena.
Political and econonle Life under the Hashent tes (1949-67)
Palestinians and Jordanians constituted one nation until 1918
when they were seperated into two entities, essentially in
102
anticipation of the eventual establistment of farael in Palestine.
However, following the installation of Prince Abdullah as ruler
cof Trans-Jordan in 1921, he developed a long-term aia of angexing
thote parts of Palestine which would be eventually left for Arabe
after the forsition of the Jevish state, This, topether with
competition with Palestinian leaders, resulted in four years of
‘oppressive rule of the West Bink (1948-52) ending with his
‘assassination in 1952 and a further deepening of the rift between
the thshenite montrchy and the Palestinian peoples
Jordan's rule of the West Birk during 1950-67 was permeated with
anti-Palestinian policies." The regine was opposed to manifestations
of Palestinian identity, on the prenise that Palestine 1
longer existed and loyalty should go the merged state. But the
Jordanian leadership appeared to develop deep insecurities arising
‘from the potential hazards posed by ruling a mation which had
© history of opposition during the eventful years of British
wmandate. Consequently, the Jordanian goverment adopted strong
easures for controlling opposition. To help it do so, the Jordanian
Fegine was able to utilise a stratua of Palestinian leaders who
Actively co-operated with the goverment in Amman in their capactty
4s "representatives" of the Palestinian people, eacerbating
‘tensions on the West Bank.
1m brief, the Palestinians in Jordan rentined until 1967 Largely
Seprived of any genuine form of free expression or any opportunity
for expressing an independent identity.
* Jamil Hilal's book (op cit) bis provided an elaborate documentation
‘Of Jordan's policies in the West Bank, Some examples on economic
And social discrimination will be cited later in this section, - تاريخ
- ١٩٨٢
- المنشئ
- Hisham Masoud Awartani
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