33
as agreement should entail offering equal water rights and
the same amounts of water per capita to Palestinians and
Israelis; committing to protect in a coordinated manner
the joint water resources, permit each side to administer
separately its water resources; accept European standards
for maintaining the necessary water quality. Finally, it should
include a coordinated plan how to narrow the gap of water
consumption, not by reducing Israeli water consumption,
but by upgrading the supply of water resources for the
people of Palestine.
Agriculture
Directly related to the lack of resolution and cooperation
on water issues, Palestinian agriculture dropped from 25%
of GDP in 1994, to 3.5% today, yet it remains important for
employment and export purposes. Agriculture comprises
15.3%of the total Palestinian exports and absorbs a significant
share of the formal and particularly the informal labor force
(13.4% and over 90% respectively).
13
Moreover, according to
the World Bank over 30% of informal Palestinian agricultural
work is performed by women, which suggests that investment
in agriculture development will benefit Palestinian women, a
hugely under-represented actor in the Palestinian job market.
The Palestinian private sector is willing and has the financial
ability to invest in the agricultural sector.
14
In response to ongoing Israeli public demand for lowering
costs of living, particularly in the food sector, it is also in
the interest of Israel to import agricultural produce from
Palestine than from say Spain.
15
This necessitates introducing
understandings dealing with kosher requirements, public
health concerns, phytosanitary monitoring, questions of
standards, as well as cleverly dealing with the business
competition between Israeli and Palestinian farmers, who
both have a vested interest to protect local produce. If a
wider understanding can be reached on issues of water,
the promotion of agriculture, coordination of access and
movement and more, than increased Palestinian agricultural
sales in Israel, both from Gaza and the West Bank, would
serve the interests of both sides.
Tourism
The variety of important religious and historical sites
throughout the West Bank currently attract more than 1
million international tourists, compared with almost 3 million
annual visitors to Israel. Similarly, West Bank’s average
room occupancy rate is 26%, in contrast to Israel’s 66%
average (Portland Trust, 2013). Bearing in mind that Israel
too consistently fails to realize its touristic potential due to the
un-stable security situation with each round of violent conflict
impacting the tourism sector immediately, the Palestinian
tourism potential remains significantly under-utilized. The
upgrade and development of Palestinian tourism infrastructure
13 Council for European Palestinian Relations, "Agriculture in
Palestine: a post-Oslo analysis", 2012.
14 Discussion with senior Palestinian economist, March 2016.
15 Interview with senior Israeli economist, June 2016.
and service standards is ongoing and on the agenda of
international donors. According to the Portland Trust (2013)
analysis, there is significant un-tapped potential with long-
term potential to attract up to 5.5 million tourists annually,
which in turn would serve as key economic engine of the
Palestinian economy and employment market.
For example, in the northern area of Taysir and Tubas
a significant portion of the land belongs to the Catholic
Church, which could serve the development of tourism for
Christian pilgrimage.
16
Plans for the development of northern
West Bank area as touristic site and regional vacation area
should also be promoted: with an important biodiversity
area, historical Christian sites such as the ancient Burqin
Church
17
and existing local tourism infrastructure
18
it can
be expanded and upgraded to attract local, regional and
international visitors.
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics
(PCBS), total expenditure by international tourists in the PA in
2013 was over $1 billion, equaling 11% of West Bank GDP.
19
However, since these figures were collected there has been
a marked deterioration in security in Gaza, Jerusalem and
the West Bank. Under such conditions, the tourism sector
is often the first to suffer the consequences, also in Israel.
Transport & Roads
A contiguous and prosperous State of Palestine, living in
good neighborly relations besides Israel, has to provide its
citizens with free and effective movement for work and leisure
and create the necessary inter-connection between the two
states, and their neighbors. For this purpose, an agreement
or a fully coordinated understanding, on the construction
of the Palestinian road-, railway- network, and a sea- and
airport is essential. In order to promote trade, tourism as
well as good neighborly relations the full coordination of the
Israeli and Palestinian transport infrastructure is essential.
On a tactical level, it should be possible to ask the Government
of Israel to allow for the upgrade of roads throughout the
West Bank. However, in order to adopt a strategic change,
the parties will have to discuss and coordinate joint interests,
and enable the necessary construction work to provide for
an effective and sustainable transport infrastructure for the
future State of Palestine, and the inter-connection with Israel
and all its neighbors.
Thereupon, Israel needs to acknowledge the responsibility
of the PA to administer (plan, manage and oversee) the
field of transportation in order to provide its citizens with the
right of free access and movement by land, air and sea, for
people, goods and services. It will be particularly important
to provide for the security and safety of all road users.
16 Discussions with senior Palestinian former official, August 2015.
17 The Burqin church, also known as St. George’s Church, has
stood in its current location since the Byzantine era as a marker
of the site on which Jesus healed ten lepers of their disease.
18 Haddad tourist village which is close to Jalameh/Gilboa crossing
attracts Arab-Israeli visitors
19 Discussion with Bank of Israel representative, April2016.
