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A Performance-Based Strategy to Revive the Palestinian Economy -

(Ha'aretz) Christiaan J. Poortman- During the intifada, donors doubled their annual disbursements to almost $1 billion per year, yet personal incomes contracted by almost 40%. The lesson here is that money alone will not do the trick - what is far more important is the right policy environment. The immediate reason for today's Palestinian economic crisis is the system of security-related restrictions that Israel has placed on Palestinian movement. Yet Israel will only roll back these restrictions in the knowledge that its own citizens are properly protected and that reviving the Palestinian economy does not mean endangering Israeli lives. The PA needs to demonstrate a much greater commitment to preventing violence, as well as pressing forward with democratic renewal and with its programs of financial reform. The writer is the World Bank vice president for the Middle East and North Africa.
2004-12-17 00:00:00
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