Now who brought this about? "Palestinian Private Sector Hit Hard by Israel's Re-occupation."

Pehaps if the young suicide bombers and their controllers spent some time in school and in reading, they might realize what they have inflicted upon their brothers and sisters. The Israelis-- their economy also hurting -- are trying to stop the mericless killings and disruption of daily life among Israelis. It is time for the Arabs to take responsibility for their actions and stop blaming Israel for their problems.

When the Palestinian-Israeli peace process began in 1993, the Palestinian private sector was seen as a powerful force that would create a competitive and sustainable economy. The then vibrant private sector triggered a dynamic capital influx into the Palestinian market. Today, that sector is on the verge of collapse.

Unless helped, explained Bassim Khoury, founder and general manager of Pharmacare, a pharmaceutical company in Ramallah, the private sector faces irreversible damage. Khoury, along with Tourism Development Consultant Amir Dajani and Hiba Husseini, founder and managing partner of Husseini and Dajani Attorneys and Counselors-at-Law discussed the problems facing the Palestinian private sector during a 18 September 2002 Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine (CPAP) briefing.

The Palestinian business representatives point to the ongoing political conflict, the repeated Israeli military incursions into the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and the stifling restrictions on the movement of goods and people as causing "widespread business paralysis".

Dajani argued that politicians should not lose sight of the important role the private sector and civil society play in maintaining a final settlement to the Palestinian- Israeli conflict. "We are the ones who create jobs and sustain the standard of living which promotes peace and co-existence in the region," Dajani said.
Since violence erupted in the Occupied Territories in September 2000 and the Israeli army tightened its grip on the Palestinian territories, the Palestinian gross national product (GNP) has declined by more than 40 percent. Investments in all sectors of the economy have been severely curtailed and imports and exports are close to a standstill.
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