Israeli And Palestinian Business Leaders Strengthen Commitment To Palestinian Economy

Thirty years after the signing of the landmark Oslo Accords between Israel and Palestine, business leaders at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2023 committed to working together to support Palestinian resilience in the face of increased political uncertainty that threaten the viability of the two-state solution. 

At the meeting, deeply concerned Palestinian and Israeli business leaders released a joint communiqué reinforcing their commitment to work together to reduce alarming social and economic disparities against a grim political landscape that threatens the prospect for the two-state solution. They intend to do so by spurring economic growth, raising employment opportunities and attracting foreign investment in the Palestinian economy, which will contribute to reduced disparities and increased socioeconomic stability in a challenging political and fast-developing regional context.

Currently, the Palestinian economy remains stagnant and vulnerable to political uncertainty in the region and to a volatile global economy. Its economy is predicted to slowly recover from the twin shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic repercussions of the war in Ukraine; however, the unemployment rate remains high at an overall rate of 25.5% and 38% for young people.

“In the context of political uncertainty, doubling down on the Palestinian economy is crucial in maintaining the dialogue and a pathway to the two-state solution,” said Mirek Dušek, Managing Director, World Economic Forum. “The communiqué is a crucial milestone and reinforces the importance of business-led diplomacy in conflict areas and could be of inspiration for other similar initiatives around the world.”

“The World Economic Forum continues to support the ongoing efforts of the Israeli and Palestinian business leaders and remains active in driving its work on peace and reconciliation and ultimately fostering greater regional and global collaboration,” he added.

The business leaders pledged to work with national, regional and international stakeholders to support the economy in the context of political uncertainty and unlock the full potential of start-ups through increased prominence in the international space, easier access to credit, and a stronger, more supportive ecosystem to help young Palestinian entrepreneurs scale their activities.

“We call upon world leaders to encouragingly prompt Israeli and Palestinian leaders to sit around the negotiating table and achieve the long-awaited peace after so many years of failed opportunities,” said Samer Khoury, Chairman, Consolidated Contractors Company (CCC). “We also issue a call to action to the international business community to safeguard Palestinian rights and the economy in light of aggravated challenges being imposed on the Palestinians. Our economy is fragile but promising and we need to work with global and regional friends to protect it from additional threats and unleash its true potential. Only a strong economy will help the resilience of the people on the ground and preserve the true hope for a two-state solution.” 

“As business leaders from Israel, we understand the challenges being faced by Palestinians and have an interest to help economic development of key Palestinian sectors to prevent any deterioration of the situation,” said Yossi Vardi, Chairman, International Technologies. “We see true potential for international companies to invest in the Palestinian economy and see the quality of engineers and entrepreneurs. Together with the World Economic Forum and all friends that are working to advance peace in our region, we issue a call to action to strengthen the Palestinian economy and to open new avenues for peace and two states.”