Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Ravaging Gaza's greenhouses

This week's Carnival of the Capitalists linked to my commentary on the folly of expecting that the Gush Katif greenhouses can continue to be profitable after transferring them to Palestinian ownership. I wrote, skeptically:

Don't expect Palestinian laborers to receive much benefit from them. If they even stay in business for long.

Looks like I was overoptimistic. Barely a day after Israel's departure, and Palestinian mobs are looting the greenhouses:
During a tour of Neveh Dekalim, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei implored Palestinians to leave the structures intact, even as people scavenged through debris elsewhere in the settlement.

"These greenhouses are for the Palestinian people," he said. "We don't want anyone to touch or harm anything that can be useful for our people."

Just minutes away, crowds of looters in the Gadid settlement overwhelmed hundreds of guards trying to protect the greenhouses. Guards acknowledged that in many cases, they were unable to stop the looting.

"They are taking plastic sheeting, they are taking hoses, they are taking anything they can get their hands on," said Hamza Judeh, a Palestinian policeman.

He said about 80 percent of the greenhouses were still intact, but looters walked off with lighting fixtures, cables and wires. Many were undeterred by the police presence. Police said one man dropped his loot only after he was beaten by security forces.

Someday, maybe, the Palestinians will learn to prefer building to destroying. Maybe.

2 comments:

Cosmic X said...

'"These greenhouses are for the Palestinian people," he said. "We don't want anyone to touch or harm anything that can be useful for our people."'

LOL! Just like all the European donor money that ended up in Arafat's bank account!

Zman Biur said...

Don't be silly - Arafat was the Palestinian people! L'etat, c'est moi.