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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Paleoeconomy contracted 21% in 4th Q
2007-02-25
The Palestinian economy shrank 21 percent in the fourth quarter of 2006 compared with the previous year, suffering from the effects of international sanctions and restricted flow of goods into the Gaza Strip, officials said Sunday. The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said most sectors of the economy suffered declines, including manufacturing, education, tourism and health care.

Sufian al-Barghouti, the bureau's director for economic statistics, said the steep drop in economic activity was largely the result of international sanctions imposed after Hamas won legislative elections last year and gained control of the government. Up to now, foreign aid has made up about half of the government budget.
Don't have actual numbers; however, foreign aid was about $300M in 2005 (all sources) so GDP would have been about $600M. This would imply a loss of about $30M from the 4Q of 2005 to the 4Q of 2006
Posted by:mhw

#14  Tourism's down in Gaza ya say?

That explains it - 21% fewer foreigners to kidnap and hold for ransom.
Posted by: DMFD   2007-02-25 22:19  

#13  Tourism's down in Gaza ya say?
Can't imagine why...
Posted by: tu3031   2007-02-25 22:15  

#12  Expect further losses, esp' when they're relying on foreign aid for their 'input'. Pathetic losers, the whole lot...
Posted by: Raj   2007-02-25 21:42  

#11  I'd go with the money leaving. Arms prices have skyrocketed, for one thing.
Posted by: Pappy   2007-02-25 21:17  

#10  That 21 percent number took my breath away. That is an incredible statistic. For an economy to contract in such a manner, investment money is being drained from it at an incredible rate or population is leaving the area at a rapid rate.

21 percent contraction means the "Palestinian" economy has collapsed. There can be no other interpretation.
Posted by: badanov   2007-02-25 21:02  

#9  I think that they have been taking on-line Economics courses from Zimbob-U.
Posted by: USN, ret.   2007-02-25 20:07  

#8  C'mon, Mike/OP - you know better...as the scorpion said - "it's in my nature" :-)
Posted by: Frank G   2007-02-25 19:14  

#7  I read somewhere that the Israeli productivity in the Gaza Strip was somewhere in the range of $25 million per year, primarily from the greenhouses the paleos took such delight in destroying. Maybe if they spent more time trying to grow things, produce something worth selling, and working, instead of blowing things up and shooting people, their GDP would go UP? Maybe?? Possibly??
Posted by: Old Patriot   2007-02-25 18:31  

#6  I got all excited when I misread the headline as, "Paleoectomy."
Posted by: exJAG   2007-02-25 18:18  

#5  Another islam success story.
Posted by: jds   2007-02-25 18:12  

#4  Sniff my butt.
Posted by: rhodesiafever   2007-02-25 17:19  

#3  Not high enough; let's see those barbarians totally crippled. Let them eat rhetoric.
Posted by: Sneaze   2007-02-25 17:19  

#2  Other than Kassam rockets and suicide belts, what else do they produce?
Posted by: DMFD   2007-02-25 17:15  

#1  How does zero "shrink" 21%?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2007-02-25 16:41  

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