Palestinian farmers exported 8 tons of peppers to Israeli wholesalers—the first crop harvested in the greenhouses left behind by Jewish settlers after the Israeli pullout from Gaza this summer. Basil Jaber, chairman of the Palestine Economic Development Company, said that by the end of the year growers expected to export an unspecified quantity of peppers, cherry tomatoes and strawberries to European and other markets. The greenhouses, which cover about 750 acres, were bought for about $14 million by a private foundation and funded with donations from US Jews, in the hope of boosting the ailing Gaza economy and saving the jobs of about 3,500 Palestinians who used to work in the settlements.