Agricultural Development in the West Bank (ص 97)
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- Agricultural Development in the West Bank (ص 97)
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typical of the West Bank prior to the war, and of Jordan before and
after the war. The areas of buildings begun during 1974 - 79
increased at 7% and they consisted almost entirely of private
buildings.’ Vivian Aull noted that buildings started in the city
©f Nablus in 1964, for example, were equal to the total urban
CoMstruction in the West Sank in 1970.7 The slow growth in the
construction sector has resulted in overcwding and a low level of
housing facilities. According to a recent study the proportion of
West Rank families of which three or more members occupy one room is
SQR, as compared with only 4% in Israel.?
The construction sector has serious problems arising from Israel's
efforts to minimize Arab physical presence in Palestine. This policy
is effected through a number of agressive policies. Most importantly,
this includes the denial of Palestinians not holding the Israeli-
issued West Bank identity card of their right to build houses in
their home towns. This cuts off what had been for long the most
important source of finance for an unusually vigorous construction
industry in the West Bank prior to occupation. The problem has
been greatly aggravated by recent regulations banning all
Sonstructions (by Arabs) within 150 meters (450 feet) of all roads
4
Connecting West Bank towns. This has drastically reduced the land
area fit for housing and industrial services. The construction
ls clita
1 Derived from Table H/1 in the Administered Territories Statistics
Quarterly 1980, op. cit., p. 98.
2 Vivian Bull, op. cit., p. 98.
3 Bakr Abu Kishek, The Housing Crisis in the Occupied Territories,
(West Bank: Birzeit University, 1980), p. 17.
4 Instructions to applicants for construction licenses. A circular
Signed by the director of the Central Construction Planning Office
at Beit Bil and addressed to all local authorities, May 1981.
183
industry has been additionally affected by the absence of housing
credit institutions and the uncertain political environment.
Trade
Trading patterns in the occupied territories underwent comprehensive
restructuring immediately after occupation. Trade with Jordan was
reoriented within what came to be known as the "open-bridge" policy.
That entailed permitting continued flow of West Bank export
commodities to the traditional markets in Jordan and the Gulf states.
Imports from Jordan, in contrast, were drastically curtailed because
of security restrictions and very high tariffs. This has resulted
in a large surplus which helps cover the West Hank deficit incurred
in trade with Israel. Morethan 70% of exports to Arab markets
Consist of agricultural commodities (largely olive oil and citrus
Products. Industrial goods consist mainly of samneh (ghee), soap and
Stone,
Trade with Israel, on the other hand, has developed to a much more
Significant level. Israeli goods were given unrestricted access to
the markets of the occupied territories.
®nversely, product from the territories were admitted to Israel on
® small and selective scale and only when that served a felt need.
“ithin this frame of inequitable terms of trade, Israel succeeded
in less than two years following occupation in becoming by far the
largest trading partner with the West Bank, providing it with over
8
of its imports and receiving 61% of its exports (see Table V - 9). - تاريخ
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- المنشئ
- Hisham Masoud Awartani
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