RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian people were divided following President Mahmoud Abbas' speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 27. Many supported the president and the message he conveyed, while others disagreed with him. But everyone agreed that should his ideas be implemented on the ground, it would create a new reality for Palestinians on all levels. The political game would also change and affect the Palestinian economy, but how? Will this be a dramatic change, and will its repercussions affect us directly?

Many of the citizens who spoke to Al-Monitor believe that the Israeli state will be the biggest loser, while the Palestinian people will win. They also think that the Israeli government’s angry reaction to the speech is intimidation, nothing more.

Abed Raouf Mohammed from Gaza told Al-Monitor, “The Palestinian Authority’s commitment to the Paris Protocol — which the Israeli side does not abide by — has suffocated the PA. The protocol states that the Palestine Liberation Organization has the right to negotiate and conclude commercial deals on behalf of the national Palestinian authority, so long as the import policy applied in Israel is also applied in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. This has a negative impact since the PLO does not represent all Palestinians. In addition, this protocol is subject to the many Israeli security measures imposed on the Palestinian economy. Yet, should economic agreements end, the PA, whose economy is dependent on the Israeli side, would be the loser.”

Meanwhile, Khaled Awad from Ramallah told Al-Monitor, “The biggest loser after ending the economic cooperation and agreements between both parties would be Israel, since the West Bank and Gaza Strip represent a great market for Israeli products. Israel makes major profits from its trade with the West Bank and Gaza. Should this trade end, it will lose all this great profit.”