Businesses in normal countries take getting around for granted. They can distribute, export and attract workers and customers from wide areas. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, access to more than half of the land is restricted. Israel has ultimate control of roads, energy, water, telecommunications and air space. A decade of what the Palestinians call “closure” created higher transaction costs, uncertainty and inefficiency. But violence has fallen significantly. The Palestinians have established an effective security force, with American help. Wary Palestinian businessmen say these can easily be re-established, so their operating environment remains fraught with unpredictability. But with easier movement, trade is indeed on the rise in places, and as a result there are more jobs. The northern city of Nablus was the West Bank's commercial hub until the Palestinian uprising that began in 2000 when it was virtually sealed off by the Huwara checkpoint, known for years as one of the toughest in the occupied territory. In the past five years 425 companies left for Ramallah to escape the economic siege, according to Omar Hashem of the Nablus Chamber of Commerce. But 100 returned this year, he said. “In the past four months, there has been considerable improvement in Nablus' trade situation, after Israeli authorities eased restrictions at military checkpoints.” This allows thousands to go shopping in Nablus, which was forbidden. As yet, it is Saturdays only. Unemployment has decreased from 32 to 18 percent, said Hashem, and life is easier for hundreds of government employees and Nablus professionals who used to stay in Ramallah five days a week to avoid the tedious checkpoints. “Only 1,800 of the 6,500 registered members of the Nablus chamber of commerce have commercial permits from the Israeli authorities,” Hashem said. “We need 1,200 more at least.” “There is an improvement after easing restrictions at some checkpoints but that does not noticeably reflect on the volume of trade,” said Talal Jarrar of the Jenin Chamber of Commerce. “There are tremendous restrictions on entry to Jenin of our people. They can't drive in, they can't stay more than five or six hours. Limited shopping does not revive an ailing economy.” “We have heard from Netanyahu a lot about developing the Palestinian economy ... but Local unemployment in Bethlehem fell to 23 percent this year from 28 percent in mid-2008. Tourism was doing better and there were more hotels and small businesses in Bethlehem. The director of ACA logistics said “between Bethlehem and Hebron, the road now is easy and open. But nothing is guaranteed.” The economy of Hebron city shows little sign of improvement, say some local businessmen. “Our latest statistics show no economic growth,” said Maher Al-haymoni, director of the Chamber of Commerce. World Bank figures say the average crossing time at the Tarqumia crossing in and out of Israel is 2-1/2 hours, less than many truckers into the European Union expect to wait. One Hebron businessman had no complaints. “We are doing fine, great,” said Abu Haitham, who runs one of the biggest shoe factories in the West Bank. The city of Ramallah is the envy of the others. Ramallah benefitted from the sense of remoteness felt in cities like Nablus closed off behind Israeli checkpoints. People have moved in and it has grown. There are two international hotels under construction, including a Moevenpick which was mothballed for years after the 2000 uprising began. Arab Hotels CEO Walid Al-Ahmad owns the Movenpick project and expects the hotel to be ready to open by the end of this year. “We are speeding the up the process because Ramallah needs its first five
