São Paulo – The United States Secretary of State John Kerry announced last Sunday (26th) the launch of a US$ 4 billion program to revive the Palestinian economy. The announcement was made during the World Economic Forum on the Middle East and North Africa, held in the Dead Sea region of Jordan over the weekend. The goal is to lay the foundations to sustained peace among Palestinians and Israelis.
“I believe it is time to put in place a new model for development, (…) a plan for the Palestinian economy that is bigger, bolder and more ambitious than anything proposed since Oslo,” said Kerry according to a WEF press release, in a reference to the Israel-Palestine peace treaty signed in 1993.
According to the Forum, the plan was devised by a team of international specialists, and is expected to drive Palestine’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to increase by 50%, and to cause unemployment to go from 21% to 8% in three years. Kerry said the amount may make a huge difference in a relatively small territory with a population of 4 million.
According to the WEF press release, the project supports an initiative launched by over 200 Palestinian and Israeli businessmen to end the stalemate that caused peace negotiations to be suspended three years ago. The businessmen intend to push political leaders into resuming talks.
“The initiative is not an alternative to the political process, but it serves to underline the urgent need for action,” said WEF founder and executive chairman Klaus Schwab, according to the release. The meeting in Jordan was attended by approximately 900 delegates from 50 countries, including the presidents of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, and Israel, Shimon Peres.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
