OCCUPIED
JERUSALEM — Despite their distance from the Russian
invasion of
Ukraine, Palestinians vocalized that the European conflict would
directly impact them one way or another.
اضافة اعلان
The Palestinian Authority, headed by President
Mahmoud Abbas, and
most Palestinian leadership opted out taking a stance or sharing comments on
the crisis, citing their position on the conflict as a “lose-lose” situation,
according to what a Palestinian official told Jordan News.
“We have close relations with the leadership in
Moscow, and
anything we say will jeopardize their support to our cause,” said the official,
asking to remain anonymous.
According to US-based Palestinian Affairs expert, Hasan Awwad,
Palestinians’ past experience taught them a lesson “not to interfere or give
opinions of what happens elsewhere,” due to the likelihood of them being harmed
due to their stance.
“Palestinians, morally and
as a matter of principle, can’t support any occupation or injustice to any
people, especially since they have suffered from displacement and occupation.”
Increased fighting between
Russia and Ukraine could cause
thousands of Ukrainian Jews to flee Ukraine and immigrate to Israel, but
Palestinians warned that they will settle in settlements in the occupied West
Bank.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government announced that it is ready to
absorb the wave of immigration from Ukraine, and the evacuation of about 8,000
Israelis from
Kyiv.
According to the Israeli “emergency plan” — “details of which”
were revealed by Israeli media —when necessary, Israel plans to bring in 5,000
Jews from Ukraine in one week, a number much larger than what the Ministry of
Absorption and the responsible bodies in Israel are used to.
Political analyst Nihad Abu Ghosh told Jordan News that Israel is
“using wars to increase settlement building in the occupied West Bank by
promoting immigration.”
“Since the emergence of the Zionist movement, the Israelis have
exploited wars to recruit hundreds of thousands of Jews and replace the
Palestinians with them” said Abu Ghosh.
The potential growth of settlements in the occupied West Bank,
which are regarded as illegal under international law, due to Jewish-Ukrainian
immigrants, has caused concerns to rise amongst Palestinians.
“Certainly, this is a source of concern for the Palestinians. We
noticed the same thing after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early
1990s,” said Abu Ghosh.
He also added that the Palestinian situation is fragile, “when the
Palestinian economy and Palestinian life depend on international support, this
puts the Palestinians in a weaker position than before.”
During the
COVID-19 pandemic, foreign aid to the Palestinians was
reduced because donor countries had other priorities, according to Abu Ghosh,
who expects the same thing to happen now because “there will be Ukrainian
refugees and the reconstruction of Ukraine … This will push the needs of the
Palestinians back.”
Beyond funding, Awwad voiced concerns over the Palestinian cause
becoming marginalized and losing its importance as global interest shifts
towards the war in Ukraine. “The same thing happened during the so-called Arab
Spring when the Palestinian cause lost some of its importance and was relegated
to the back burner,” said Awwad.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine carries huge risks to a world
economy that has yet to recover from the pandemic fully.
Palestinian economic and financial experts have warned that
conflict will cause a big blow to their economy which is already reeling from
the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and from decreasing financial aid from
international donors.
Ramallah-based economic analyst Thabit Abo Al-Ros told Jordan News
that the war in Ukraine threatens Palestinian economic recovery, and could
impact growth, inflation, and unemployment rate.
“The Palestinian economy is already struggling, and the war will
lead to a spike in the price of several food staples, and shortage of foods
like flour,” Ros added. “There are direct effects on the Palestinian economy
resulting from the rise in the main commodities that are imported from Ukraine,
as many Palestinian companies import directly from Ukraine commodities such as
legumes, wheat, flour, and oils.”
Ros warned that the
Palestinian economy is at risk of witnessing
its biggest inflation surge in decades. “The increase in prices will lead to
financial inflation from 6 to 7 percent,” he said.
Observers say this will lead to instability.
“We have seen several demonstrations take place throughout the
West Bank, and mainly in Hebron because of high prices; if the Palestinian
Authority does not have a sound economic and financial policy, it will lead to
more protests,” said Awwad.
Palestinians have complained of a fuel crisis at several gas
stations this past weekend, just days before another rise in the price of gas,
bringing the price of one liter to seven shekels ($2.17), the highest price
since 2014, and the second consecutive spike since the beginning of this year.
“The alternative market may be the US market, and this
will lead to an increase in the cost of transportation, which is already high
as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Ros.
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