RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestine's industrial parks are flourishing, which proponents believe will boost the economy and bring new jobs. Critics, however, see the projects as economic appeasement that will ultimately give Israel more control over Palestinians, rather than bring independence through negotiations and political solutions.
The Jenin Industrial Free Zone, one of the largest industrial parks in Palestine, is scheduled to begin operating this year. It was built on 230 acres of Jezreel Valley agricultural land in the city of Jenin, after a dispute was resolved between the farmers who owned the land and the Palestinian government, according to the Palestinian Industrial Estates & Free Zones Authority.
The Palestinian government expropriated the farmers’ lands, as per the Law of Appropriation No. 2 of 1953. They were paid $10 million as compensation after an agreement was signed Sept. 10 between Palestine, Germany and Turkey as funders of the project, and a Turkish contractor hired to handle the park's infrastructure.
The German government offered $5 million in support of the project, and the government-owned Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau bank in Frankfurt agreed to lend the Palestinian Authority (PA) more than 14 million euros ($15 million) to develop surrounding infrastructure.
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