Increasingly, the NY Times blames Israel for every problem, even those which haven't happened yet. As Larry Summers might say, anti—Semitic in effect, if not intent. Steven Erlanger bemoans the Palestinian economy to be:

If Israel withholds revenues from a Hamas—led Palestinian Authority and donor countries reduce aid, the Palestinian areas will be thrown into a deep depression, with personal incomes dropping 30 percent this year alone, according to a new World Bank study.

The study says the Palestinian economy would shrink by 27 percent in 2006 — a one—year contraction that compares to the Depression in the United States. Unemployment would nearly double, to 39.6 percent, and two—thirds of the population would be living below the poverty level.

The study, sent to donors on Wednesday, was provided to The New York Times by an official who wanted it to have greater distribution.

Richard Baehr   3 16 06