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US SECRETARY OF STATE John Kerry was Sunday to unveil plans to revive the ailing Palestinian economy, as Israeli President Shimon Peres insisted no time should be lost in resuming peace talks.
“Tonight I will be in Amman and talk about the economic development of the West Bank, the Sahel, Maghreb, all of these regions,” Kerry told students at the University of Addis Ababa shortly before leaving Ethiopia to travel to Jordan.
“I think when you look at extremism, radical, violent extremism, it is filling a void that is being left by the absence of governance.”
Tourism and private sector investment
Since taking up the baton this year in the long-elusive search for Middle East peace, Kerry has refused to divulge publicly the details of how he intends to bridge the bitter differences between Israel and the Palestinians.
But he has entrusted the Quartet’s Middle East peace envoy Tony Blair with the task of drawing up an economic plan to attract tourism and private sector investment into the West Bank and breathe fresh hope into the area.
Blair has already been working with the CEO of Coca Cola, Muhtar Kent, on ways of attracting investment into the depressed West Bank.
The West Bank had seen a moderate growth in recent years only to be set back by Israeli and Western moves to stall aid following the Palestinian bid for upgraded UN status.
In a separate initiative unveiled at the World Economic Forum, held in the Jordanian town of Shunah on the shores of the Dead Sea, some 200 Israeli and Palestinian executives from some large businesses urged their governments to move towards a two-state solution.
The Breaking the Impasse Initiative vowed to use their influence to convince the leaders on both sides to resume serious talks, stalled since late 2010.
“The current situation endangers the economy and the social fabric of both nations, and may render the two-state solution unattainable,” it said in a statement.
Peace is a ‘real possibility’
Peres, who met with Kerry on Thursday in Jerusalem, said he believed peace was a “real possibility.”
“Two points are urgent: we shouldn’t lose the opportunity because it will he replaced by great disappointment,” Peres told reporters.
“We have to come over scepticism and doubts. Second, I feel it is a real possibility,” he said, speaking in English.
“I am aware of the missing links residing between the two ends. From my experience I believe it is possible to overcome them, it doesn’t require too much time. It is the real interest of all parties concerned.”
He said the two sides already have a “functioning” solution.
“As far as the Palestinians are concerned we have a functioning beginning and an agreed solution. The solution is the two-state solution — living in peace and dignity,” Peres said.
Kerry was on his second trip to Jordan in five days, after marathon talks on the crisis in Syria with 10 foreign ministers from the Friends of Syria group stretched into early Thursday.
Stalled Middle East peace process
He was expected to meet again with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas during his new stay in Amman, after the two men met for more than two hours on Thursday in Ramallah to discuss the way forward in the stalled Middle East peace process.
“It takes courage, vision and determination to stand together and to demand the breaking of the impasse between our two nations,” said Munib Masri, chair of the Palestinian group of Breaking the Impasse.
“Palestinians yearn for freedom, dignity and independence from occupation and we see no good coming from the current impasse except the perils of future conflict.”
Kerry has called on both Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to now take the tough decisions needed to get the peace process moving again.
“The Middle East is the grand-daddy or grandma of all conflicts,” Kerry told the young Ethiopian students on Sunday before heading back to the Middle East.
“Everybody knows what the issues are, the question is can you get over that divide. The Palestinians deserve a state, Israel deserves to be secure and know that people won’t be firing rockets at it, sending women and children into bunkers.”
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The UK will do nothing of the sort, or they’ll get hammered with trade sanctions. Just trying to quieten the unionists down for a while.
@Neil A Campbell: Teresa May correctly pointing out in the Commons today that the DUP voted against a deal that would remove the need for a border in the Irish sea. The DUP’s desire to see a hard border on the island of Ireland is palpable.
@Ian O’Donovan: true – and people seemingly passing over the fact that Donaldson objected to signing The Good Friday Agreement – they should call themselves the want their cake ear it party
“The current EU proposals….has left them without an Executive and with a threat to peace and stability”. No they haven’t. The DUP has left them without an Executive and the DUP threatens peace and stability.
@GrumpyAulFella: Jeffrey was never in favour of the GFA and even left the UUP over it. He has a history of not wanting to share power.
“ok ok ok i’m gonna do it guys, watch me watch me, this time i’m totally serious” never going to happen, to much to lose.
@Ian O’Donovan: Liz Truss is a wannabe Maggie Thatcher and will say anything to get noticed.
They’re still trying to find a scapegoat for the self-inflected damage of Brexit. Abandoning the exit agreement that Boris agreed would be an admission of their error. That will also trigger a worse-than-before situation for which they would again blame others. I look forward to participating in economic sanctions if that occurs.
UKG delivering on shadow promises made during Brexit vote, in spite of democracy.
@Rúraíocht: There will be no unilateral action by Boris, the consequences for the whole of the UK don’t warrant it.
No mention of this in the queens address to parliament yesterday delivered by big lugs. Which liz should we be taking heed of?
Like the cowardly antagonist that gets called out “hold me back, hold me back”
While the DUP threats grow bigger, the E.U. and Ireland say nothing of the consequences of the Boris bluff. If the E.U. were firm and said, for example, no trade agreement between E.U. and uk or put Boris in a situation where he had to choose between the ‘mainland’ and N.I. then the ‘mainland’ would win everytime.
What will Jeffrey do when the economic consequences of his actions begin to effect the mental health etc of his constituents?
@Barrycelona: We could see the “Plantation” of Scotland, Wales or England.
have your say