Ahead for developing visions and strategies of the occupied Palestinian territories

When the Israelis withdrew the settlers and troops from Gaza, the speed at which economic and humanitarian conditions would deteriorate in the 360km2 Palestinian enclave was unforeseen. This raises a host of questions as to what went wrong? Is it that Gaza’s rapid economic decline was inevitable? To what extent does Gaza’s post-disengagement economic predicament have to do with the Israeli onesided move? And to what degree is the sudden change in the Palestinian political terrain responsible for Gaza’s economic plight? The objective of this study is to provide an account of the weaknesses and strenghts of the Palestinian society in achieving development. The goal here is to go beyond the available numbers and present an analysis of the current situation in order to identify core problems, detect patterns, and to provide an objective analysis of the desired developed structure.