New Class of Palestinians Get Rich On Gaza Tunnel Trade
The lucrative trade in contraband through Gaza's tunnel network has produced a new class of wealthy Palestinians, writes Omar Shaban.
One of the challenges for reconciliation between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) is to reaccommodate 55,000 PA employees — who had been asked to refuse to work with the Hamas government — in the Gaza Strip. Another important challenge is how to assimilate hundreds of newly rich Palestinians who have amassed vast fortunes from illegal trade as well as legal economic activities, and re-incorporate hundreds who had halted economic activity because of the blockade.
The tunnels are not new
