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The Palestinian Authority's New Economic Strategy

(Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Yoni Ben Menachem - The Palestinian Authority is not content with breaching diplomatic clauses of the Oslo agreements and taking unilateral steps such as turning to the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court at The Hague. It is also planning to repudiate the Protocol on Economic Relations (or Paris Protocol) that is an integral part of those agreements. On March 1, PA Minister of Economy Mohammed Mustafa told Palestinian businesspeople that the PA is "preparing a new economic strategy whose aim is to create a Palestinian economy that is independent and separate from Israel." On March 2, Mustafa announced that the PA "is on the way to an economic revolt like the diplomatic revolt when we turned to the UN." On March 10, Fatah Central Committee member Dr. Mohammed Ashtiya, who is mentioned as a possible successor to Mahmoud Abbas, declared the PA's intention to repudiate the Paris Protocol. At the same time, some senior PA officials view these declarations as empty threats, aimed at placating the Palestinian public amid the delay in paying PA workers' salaries.
2015-03-13 00:00:00
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