Posted on 04/25/2013 5:25:07 AM PDT by SJackson
Coca-Cola among companies that would invest heavily in multi-billion dollar initiative bringing international businesses, infrastructure projects to the West Bank
The Obama administration is preparing a multi-billion dollar economic initiative that would bring international businesses and major infrastructure projects to the West Bank, it was reported on Thursday.
Part of an effort to improve Palestinian economic conditions ahead of a peace deal, senior sources in the US and Israel told Maariv that US Secretary of State John Kerry has already secured approval in principle for the initiative from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long championed such a program, and from Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
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The initiative would entail billions of dollars in investment in high-tech, transportation, tourism, telecommunications and major infrastructure projects in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority. The head of Coca-Cola has reportedly signed on already, along with other major international companies. Former British PM and Quartet Mideast envoy Tony Blair is also involved in the plan in an advisory capacity.
“This is an initiative to bring large corporations seeking to invest in places where they can make a difference, not necessarily where the bottom line determines if the investment is the best,” Kerry said this week in Brussels, where he reportedly asked EU president José Manuel Barroso to recruit leading European businesses to the project.
A major part of the initiative would be large West Bank construction projects that would employ thousands of people.
Netanyahu is reportedly against aspects of the plan that would require Israel to release Area C land (currently under full Israeli control), such as a proposed tourist center in the Dead Sea, to the Palestinian Authority. Other proposals nixed by Netanyahu include exploitation of natural gas fields off the coast of Gaza, and the opening of an international airport controlled by the Palestinians. Kerry has tried to assure the Palestinians that the economic projects would not come at the expense of diplomatic issues, like determining final borders for a Palestinian state.
Kerry has reportedly delayed formally announcing the new economic initiative due to the sudden resignation of PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayad in mid-April. Maariv wrote that during Kerry’s recent visit to the region, the Palestinians gave the US two months to produce a detailed proposal for the project, which would go together with a curb on Israeli settlement construction.
Israel resumed transferring monthly tax revenues collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority in late January, estimated at $115 million. Israel had frozen the transfer of funds following the successful Palestinian bid to gain nonmember state status at the UN General Assembly in late November 2012.
If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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Fine idea, origninally Bibi's. Don't understand why it's secret.
What a load of..... business executives who sign onto this should be dumped by their boards! If Palestinians want economic help they should FIRST make real peace (not another fake deal), then make the business environment worthy of investment. This is just more whiny freeloading on the gullible "international community".....
“Palestine should marry a rich broad,” said Secretary of State Kerry, who served in Vietnam.
Tell me again what the palis did with all the Israeli business facilities they got for free when Israel vacated and gave them the land?
It will just be a cost of doing business with the Obama Administration, and the taxpayers will pick up the majority of the bill.
It’s been done before Bibi and failed then, too. From 1967 until the First Intifada, the palis had economic, educational and health progress out the wazoo. For that matter, things were very prosperous under the Shah of Iran. He was still deposed. Islamonutsis are the best refutation of Marxist dialectical materialism, but you still can’t make peace with them just by giving them two cars in their garages and two chickens in their pots. That stuff only works with sane people.
John Kerry is a bum.
You cannot simply impose first-world infrastructure in a third-world society and expect it to change that society. Kerry wouldn't understand, but the Palestinians must create their own economic growth.
This is just welfare on a national scale.
Kerry the Capo as well as traitor?
Let them dream on. If they want to build a plant in Area C, they’ll have to get building permits, pay rent, buy land, all from Jooos! If Arabs want to work there, they’ll have to get permission to cross there. Otherwise, they won’t get to do that, I don’t care how many billions they have. Anyway, plenty of Arabs live in Area C. No Jews are allowed in Area A at all, even to visit, and only the soldiers are allowed in Area B. Apartheid. Right.
Thanks so much, for linking Caroline Glick’s column. I trust her with all my heart. The Moslem Marxist is playing a destruction game on both Israel and America, but Israel is first on his list. We already know Kerry is a traitor to his own country.
I’ll do my part with regard to Coca Cola.
marry a rich broad..twice
Coke has sadly fallen a long way from this:
Coca Cola will not and should not do without their profit. They are in business after all and have a responsibility to the share holders.
This sounds more like increased prices (tax) on the US and the West to help weaken Israel and strengthen the so called palestinian moslems.
Your search is as good as mine.
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