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In-Depth Coverage

Original Commentaries

11/24/09
An Ambitious But Deliverable Agenda  —Tony Blair, Quartet Representative and former British Prime Minister. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.
11/19/09
Recent Challenges  —
11/17/09
The View from Beirut  —Paul Salem, director, Carnegie Middle East Center. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.

Setting the Record Straight

Political & Economic Tracks: Complementary and Critical

“I was a head of the 100 days team of the Netanyahu government. … With regard to the Palestinians, we came out with only one recommendation: … to implement what we call the economic peace. To implement this approach and say we shall help the Palestinian economy to improve, and by this we shall help to improve the life of all the Palestinians in the West Bank, regardless of any progress or any withdrawal in the peace process. And by this, maybe we will create a better atmosphere least in the long term we shall encourage Palestinian moderation because they will see that it is beneficial to behave like in the West Bank, not like in Gaza.”
—Yuval Steinitz, Israeli finance minister, event, “Economic Challenges and Opportunities for Israel and the Palestinians,” The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, September 15, 2009versus
  • “In meetings two weeks ago with President Mahmoud Abbas, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and numerous Palestinian business leaders, it was patently clear to me that a short-term economic solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is neither wise nor practical. Political negotiations, including discussions on all the final status issues, are needed to provide the oxygen that allows the economy and infrastructure to grow. Without a continued focus on the political track and an eye to a final and full agreement, efforts to increase economic capacity and strengthen institutions will suffocate.”
    —Berl Bernhard, chairman, Middle East Investment Initiative, interview with Middle East Bulletin, November 23, 2009

    • Middle East Analysis

    Upcoming Events

    The Road Forward on Middle East Peace

    Event: October 1, 2009 - 12:00pm-1:00pm

    Introduction:
    Winnie Stachelberg, Senior Vice President for External Affairs, Center for American Progress

    Featured speaker:
    Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL)

    Moderated by:
    Moran Banai, U.S. Editor of Middle East Bulletin

    WATCH HERE

    Building Blocks of Palestinian Statehood

    Blair visits market in Jenin

    An Ambitious But Deliverable Agenda

    Tony Blair, Quartet Representative and former British Prime Minister. Interview with Middle East Bulletin.

    You were appointed as Quartet Representative to work on building the conditions for a Palestinian state. What are the major challenges you've faced in your position?

    I think there have been two major challenges: firstly, building confidence in the peace process amongst the parties after so much violence and so many dashed hopes, and secondly, the specific issues around Gaza.

    On the first, it is entirely understandable given recent history that confidence in the peace process is low, even at the time when both peoples still continue to support a two-state solution. They want peace, but they have become pessimistic that it is possible. That’s why we need to see transformative change of the facts on the ground in the West Bank so that Palestinians can see an improvement in their daily lives and the weight of occupation can be lifted, at the same time as the Palestinian Authority continues to reform and improve their security capacity so that Israelis can feel secure.
    Read more >>

    Background Basics

    Middle East Investment Initiative

    The Middle East Investment Initiative (MEII), a partner organization of Middle East Progress, is an independent, non-profit organization founded by the Aspen Institute in 2005 to strengthen the economies of the Palestinian territories and other countries in the region, recognizing that a strong economic base is critical for social and political stability. Working in partnership with the Palestine Investment Fund (PIF), the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and CHF International, MEII uses innovative

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    Jump-Starting the Palestinian Economy

    A group of prominent and active private sector Palestinian businessmen from the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem, made the following recommendations for revitalizing the Palestinian economy late last year:

    Normalization of Movement and Access
    • Improve movement of goods and people
    • Increase VIP permits for investors and businessmen
    • Ease restrictions on foreigners’ entry, particularly those of Palestinian origin, to Israel and the Palestinian territories for business-related purposes
    • Increase and expedite the process for work permits for Palestinians in Gaza to

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    Surveying Gaza’s Economy

    Overall Economy*
    Employment
    37%: Unemployment rate in the first quarter of 2009
    ~94%: Percentage of jobless workers who were formerly employed in the private sector (120,000 workers)

    Industrial capacity
    95%: Percentage of industrial establishments closed (3,750 companies) and/or destroyed (236 companies) since June 2007
    20-50%: Capacity utilization in the remaining establishments

    * Smuggling through tunnels between Egypt and Gaza forms part of an informal economy that is difficult to quantify

    Trade
    Imports

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    Obstacles to Movement and Access in the West Bank

    History
    In response to the second intifada, Israel began constructing a system of internal checkpoints in the West Bank and Gaza; and in 2002, the country began construction of a separation barrier. The checkpoints and barrier, along with a system of roadblocks, were put in place to curb the number of attacks in Israel.

    Recent Events
    On June 24, the UN Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (OCHA) placed the total number of these internal

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    Palestinian Security Sector Development

    At the end of 2005, Lieutenant General Keith W. Dayton was named United States Security Coordinator (USSC) for the Palestinian Authority and posted in Jerusalem. His mission is “the transformation and professionalization of the Palestinian security forces,” the enhancement of law and order and the improvement of security for Palestinians and Israelis. After Hamas took control of Gaza in June 2007, the focus of Dayton’s mission shifted to assisting the Palestinian Authority’s efforts to rebuild its forces in

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