Are Palestinian Industrial Parks Illusion or Real Development?
While the Palestinian Authority and others push plans for West Bank industrial parks, critics say the projects give the illusion of economic growth while entrenching Israeli occupation.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — While the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its international donors move forward with plans to build industrial parks in the West Bank, critics say the projects undermine real economic development and dangerously cement Israel’s control over Palestinian lives.
The idea of establishing industrial zones in the occupied Palestinian territories took off shortly after the creation of the PA itself in the early 1990s. Today, there are three Palestinian industrial zones under construction in the occupied West Bank near Bethlehem, Jericho and Jenin.
These zones are financed by French, Japanese, Turkish and German donors, and are part of the “economic peace” model of development, which argues that improving Palestinians’ economic well-being will create the necessary conditions to reach a peace agreement with Israel.
“The national goal is to enhance the Palestinian economy and support Palestinian people through the creation of job opportunities and raising economic independence. With one word, it’s to create the future. It’s a big dream,” said Nedal al-Jabari, marketing director at the Palestinian Industrial Estates and Free Zone Authority (PIEFZA), the PA-affiliated body that oversees the parks.
