Poverty in the West Bank...?

Avi Issacharoff, writing in Ha-Aretz, had something rather interesting to write about this week. Apparently, a new luxury shopping outlet just opened in Jenin, offering consumers high end electronics and other home luxuries. Plans are underway to open four more locations elsewhere in the West Bank. While poverty is certainly a major problem in the Territories, clearly there's enough disposable income -- and enough people who possess such income -- for a Western lifestyle. This to me is welcome news and a sign that Benjamin Netanyahu is correct when he notes that polotical peace must go hand-in-hand with economic development. I hope that this new outlet in Jenin is a sign of the rule in the West Bank rather than the exception. A shape of things to come, I hope!

O-ba-ma!

The Canadian Jewish News this week published a large excerpt of President Obama's speech in Cairo. Like many a good politician, he promises everything to everyone. I have not yet managed to sit through his full speech (I'm working my way through it slowly), but in the end words don't matter. When he says that Israel must halt settlement activity, does no really mean no? To previous presidents, a public no often meant a private yes.

More critically, what will Netanyahu do? The op-ed piece from Ha-Aretz that the CJN published opposite the Obama excerpt wasn't optimistic. According to the writer, Bibi wants to continue the "natural growth" of existing settlements; Bibi is further away from Mahmoud Abbas than Olmert or Livni; and Bibi shows no real interest in a settlement with Syria. It's hard to know how accurate these assertions are. I look forward to browsing jpost online for another view.