Vice Prime Minister and Minister for Regional Development Silvan Shalom met with Palestinian Minister for National Economy Bassem Khoury in Jerusalem on Wednesday, in the first official meeting between Israeli and Palestinian ministers since Netanyahu's government came to power five months ago. Vice Prime Minister Shalom: "I believe that the Palestinians finally understood that there is no point in waiting, that waiting only harms themsevles."
The Israeli-Palestinian Joint Economic Committee, established in the 1990's, held many meetings over the course of the years. Responsibility on the Israeli side has now been transferred from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry for Regional Development, and the committee is headed jointly by Vice Prime Minister Shalom and Palestinian Economic Minister Khoury. Representatives of the Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry, and the Justice and Finance ministries took part in the meeting.
The first meeting, lasting for over three hours, was held on September 2, 2009 in Jerusalem. The two sides discussed a range of economic issues, including granting visas to businesspeople and investors, the import of larger quantities of meat and milk products during the Ramadan holiday period, as well as the marketing of milk products from the West Bank in eastern Jerusalem. It was decided that the committee will continue to meet once a month. Sub-committees were also set up in the areas of tourism, industry, agriculture and health, which will convene regularly.
Vice Prime Minister Shalom: "Economic peace is something that is 'alive and kicking'. We are dealing with real, current problems. The Allenby Bridge is now open until midnight and passage through the crossing has been facilitated. We have removed checkpoints. Our goal is to improve the security situation for Israelis through greater cooperation with the Palestinian authorities, while at the same time taking economic steps that will raise their standard of living, so that both sides will benefit. A ministerial committee headed by Prime Minister Netanyahu has been set up, and we are promoting such projects as the industrial areas in Bethlehem and Jenin, and the agricultural project in Jericho."