Ramallah boom

"The recent groundbreaking for a new Palestinian Authority presidential headquarters here in Ramallah underscored an unprecedented building and investment boom in the West Bank city. Land prices have tripled. International hotel chains are arriving. And master-planned housing projects are underway around town to accommodate a fast-rising population."  Here are the facts: according to World Bank figures, growth rates in Gaza--besieged Gaza for potato's sake--are higher than those of the West Bank.  And the bulk of growth rates in West Bank is driven by the political subsidies donated by West to Ramallah collaborators and their projects.