The Palestinian authorities Mufti has issued a Fatwa against emigration from the Palestinian territories. From JPost:

The sources said most of the applicants were young men seeking work abroad. They said the majority of them wanted to move to the US, EU and Canada.

The number of Palestinians who wish to emigrate increased significantly after the second intifada broke out in September 2000. Figures published by a number of Palestinian groups show that 50,000 to 80,000 people emigrated in the first few years after the violence erupted.

Dr. Nu’man Amr of Al-Quds University attributed the phenomenon to the harsh economic situation and the high rate of unemployment. “Most university graduates can’t find jobs here,” he said. “Even those who find jobs here are not receiving good salaries.”

Entitled “No Permission to Emigrate from Palestine,” the fatwa reads: “There has been much talk in Palestine about emigration, especially among the young people, due to the difficult security and economic situation. This is being done in search of a better life abroad. Many are continuing to rush to the gates of the embassies and consulates of the Western nations with requests for visas in order to reside permanently in those countries.

“We hereby declare that emigration from the blessed lands is not permitted according to religious law. The people living in these areas must remain in their homes and must not leave them to conquerors. Those who abide by this ruling will perform an honorable deed and will support the Aksa Mosque.”

However, the fatwa permits Muslims to travel abroad temporarily for study and work “as long as they are committed to returning and living in the blessed lands.”

So we see that the Fatwa is concerned mostly with the young men, cannon fodder for older Islamists, who are leaving the territories and may discover that they like living in a civilized fashion. You can only leave if you promise to come back and blow yourself up is the proper paraphrase for this one.

If the religious leader of the Palestinians is concerned only with ensuring that enough young men stay hungry and impoverished enough in the territories so that fighting the Israelis seems the best option for their lives, can peace ever be achieved there?