a growing number of Palestinians are openly saying they'd like to leave the West Bank and Gaza if given the chance, raising concern about the possibility of a Palestinian brain drain. The sentiment, which flouts the long-held Palestinian belief that Israeli occupation can only be resisted by staying put, is yet another indication of the deepening despair since Hamas was elected to run the government.
snip
Birzeit University pollster Nader Said, who has monitored emigration attitudes for 12 years, says the percentage of Palestinians willing to relocate once hovered just below 20 percent. When that figure jumped to 32 percent in a September survey, Mr. Said says he was shocked. The catalyst, the pollster says, has been Palestinian disillusionment following Hamas's half-year in government. "What the Israelis were unable to do - try to push the Palestinian out of the country - the internal strife is achieving," he says.
And guess where they're going? Europe of course (France is increasingly just like Palestine --with French cops sustaining more attacks this year than Iraqi security forces).
Malik Shawwa, a consultant specializing in obtaining Canadian visas, says his workload has jumped by two-thirds over the past seven months as more Palestinians ask about leaving. "This is the most important subject in the Palestinian territories," he says. "It's not just a matter of a lack of jobs. It's the situation. They're not secure. They don't trust the government."Here's independent confirmation of this phenomenon in a story about the Palestinian school year being called on account of strike --because Hamas can't pay the teachers.
driving instructor Jawad Abul Sheikh, 38, also a father of five, said the government should step down. "The whole region is standing against them, not only Israel and the West," he said of the Hamas rulers.
On the other hand perhaps the mess has revealed the key to Westernization of the Arab world. Thanks to the strike, in spite of the premium placed on education in Gaza,
Most students now spend their days watching TV, hanging out in Internet cafes or pool halls late into the night, or working in their parents‘ businesses. Educators fear many 12th graders may not be able to graduate next spring...See? Just like American kids! Except for the work part. Curtsy: Tim Blair
