THOUSANDS OF Palestinians and foreigners swept into Taybeh at the weekend for its annual Oktoberfest, celebrating not only the West Bank village’s delicious grapes, figs, olive oil and embroidery but also its golden beer.
It was a glorious day filled with debke dancing by school children, a puppet show for younger children and salsa music by a Brazilian band.
But a sour note intruded. After lunch senior politicians retired to a corner with Bassem Khoury, minister of national economy. Later he told The Irish Times: "I was in Geneva on Friday when the UN Human Rights Council was set to vote on the Goldstone report calling for an investigation of possible war crimes during Israel's January war on Gaza. I told Ramallah that we had enough votes to pass the resolution. But they decided to postpone until March. This is a disaster."
He dismissed threats by the Obama administration to drop efforts to revitalise the peace process if the Palestinian Authority insisted on a vote now. “Let them, there is no peace process, anyway,” he asserted, expressing the view of most Palestinians, as well as European diplomats with whom I had lunch.
The Goldstone report has become, next to Israeli settlements, a major concern of people on the West Bank. Since he joined the cabinet in May, Mr Khoury battled settlement financing by French and Belgian banks and settlement exports to Europe. “We expect action on these issues from EU governments.”
At the weekend Mr Khoury tendered his resignation over the Palestinian Authority’s involvement in the deferral of the Goldstone report.
The Goldstone reversal and Mr Khoury’s resignation are serious blows to President Mahmoud Abbas, already condemned for meeting Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu at the invitation of US president Barack Obama without getting any commitment on a settlement freeze.
While the World Bank predicted a 7 per cent growth in per capita GDP this year, Mr Khoury pointed out that GDP had shrunk by 50 per cent since 2000. Israel’s closures, road blocks and checkpoints have made enduring islands of economic hardship in West Bank villages, towns and cities.
Although Israel lifted a dozen checkpoints around Nablus after seven years of 99 per cent blockage, the city remains in crisis. Its classy new mall, the symbol of revival, sports only three open shops while the ancient souk is bustling with shoppers. The broad avenues are empty. Dr Allam Jarrar, of the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, said most Nablus industries have shut down, investment has fled, and regional fruit and vegetable markets have closed.
The citizens of Bethlehem – a tourist destination in spite of Israel’s enclosing wall and entrance checkpoint – feel imprisoned.
Without Palestinian citizens of Israel, who are bused in to shop in Nablus, East Jerusalem, Hebron and Bethlehem, commerce in these cities would collapse. Only Ramallah, the seat of government where new buildings sprout on every empty lot, is booming.
But a boom in Ramallah does not make an economy and Palestinians are not convinced about prime minister Salam Fayyad’s plan to create an economy before establishing a state.
“His CEO approach is good for building a business,” said Najla, a young professional, “but not a country.”