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Will economic aid rebuild trust between Israelis, Palestinians?

Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Palestinian Finance Minister Shukri Bishara are advancing an economic package designed to improve the lives of Palestinian youth.
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A reluctant, barely visible ray of light has begun to penetrate the ruins of the peace process over the past few weeks, gently illuminating the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians. Two people can be credited for that: Israel’s Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Palestinian Finance Minister Shukri Bishara. On Feb. 18, the two men met for the third time, and Kahlon will soon be presenting a bundle of economic measures that will benefit the Palestinian public. It is hoped that this package will generate a change of mood on the ground, tempering perhaps the cycle of difficult events that continue to unfold, including the wave of terror by individuals, which will soon mark six months since it began. So far, the casualties in this current round of violence have included 30 Israelis, a foreign resident from Eritrea and a Palestinian from Hebron, not to mention more than 200 Palestinian terrorists, most of them very young.

“I will not be the one to bring peace, and I am not dealing with the diplomatic process,” Kahlon told Al-Monitor in January. “On the other hand, I think that it is possible to advance economic issues and help change the lives of the Palestinians. This is not some lofty goal. It’s entirely possible. There can be much better, more effective economic ties between us and them, and this in turn may help break the deadlock, increase trust and change the overall mood.”

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