After Pullout, Gaza Checkpoint Will Still Hinder Access to Outside World

A senior Israeli official underscored the point with a blunt warning. Speaking on condition of anonymity because the policy has not been outlined publicly, the official said Israel's response to Palestinian attacks after the evacuation would be far more severe than in the past. The official said Israeli military reprisals would be carefully executed but suggested they would be less influenced by the risk of civilian deaths or other collateral damage.

"This time, no niceties," the of fic ial said. "We will have the right to defend ourselves in ways we didn't before."

Some Palestinians argue that Israel retreats from territory only when under persistent attack, as in south Lebanon.

"By pulling out, Israel is just doing what's good for them," said Ibrahim Freina, 51, a Gaza City resident. "They don't care what happens in the Gaza Strip."

But most Gaza residents appear to agree that economic revival is urgently needed in Gaza, where unemployment approaches 60 percent and two-thirds of the people live in poverty. And that topic inevitably leads to the checkpoint, also known as the Karni crossing.

The checkpoint operates like a one-way valve. More than 300 trucks a day move from Israel into Gaza, but only 50 tru cks leave Gaza on a typical day. Not only are goods carefully inspected by Israeli soldiers and dogs looking for weapons or explosives, they are completely unloaded from Palestinian trucks, then loaded onto Israeli trucks.

This back-to-back regime pushes up transport costs on a gallon of carob juice by three shekels a gallon -- "my whole profit," said Freina, who therefore operates his factory at one-fourth its capacity, saying he can't afford to sell the sweet, brown refreshment outside Gaza. He has turned down orders from Saudi Arabia and other countries. "Internationally, I don't have any competitors, so the market would be mine."

In a one-room factory crowded with sewing machines, Nabil Bowab said he turned down a JC Penney order for dresses because uncertainty about the Karni checkpoint kept him from guaranteeing that the clothes would arrive in the United States in time for Christmas.

"The only problem is the border tie-ups," said Bowab, whose Unipal garment business is one of the few operating at the Palestinian Industrial Estate. The sprawling complex, built seven years ago for businesses employing 15,000, has only 1,000 workers.

Roberts, the World Bank official, said he saw significant evidence of an Israeli appetite to correct the inspections bottleneck. With such high unemployment among young Palestinian men of military age, Roberts said, the prevailing attitude among Israeli officials appears to be enlightened self-interest.

"I think the government of Israel understands perfectly well, securing Israel does not mean an impoverished, angry and bitter neighbor," Roberts said. "History shows that while prosperity does not guarantee peace, rapid impov erishment guarantees violence."

Jabar, the Economy Ministry official, added that wider concerns about terrorism also are playing a role.

The Palestinian cause is often cited by those engaging in terrorist acts, he said. "So the international community is more interested in finding a solution, and we think that by keeping the pressure on the Israelis -- and on the Palestinians -- we will find a solution."

Correspondent Scott Wilson in Jerusalem contributed to this report.