Will new trade hall bring forth better Palestinian-Israeli economic relations?
Economic relations between Israelis and Palestinians might be on their way to seeing improvement, but businessmen, mostly Palestinians, are still treading carefully.
In an unprecedented event on Sept. 21, the first joint trade hall between Israelis and Palestinians opened near Ephraim crossing, the main crossing for the transfer of Israeli goods into the territory of the Palestinian Authority (PA). It is located near the cities of Tulkarm and Qalqilya, and it is one of the most important crossings between Israel and the PA through which 900 trucks pass every day.
The Israeli newspaper TheMarker published on Sept. 20 that the hall is run by the Israeli crossings authority, and it allows Israeli and Palestinian business owners to work together in a neutral place, without entering either the Palestinian territories or Israel. It is one of three halls to open in upcoming years.
The newspaper noted that the opening was attended by Israeli Deputy Minister of Regional Cooperation Ayoob Kara, Israeli business coordinator in the Palestinian territories Yoav Mordechai, head of the crossings authority in the Israeli Ministry of Defense Kamil Abu Roken, and Palestinian businessmen, whose names the newspaper did not mention.
Al-Monitor made every effort to learn the names of the Palestinian businessmen who participated in the opening of the hall, but to no avail. A large number of them did not want to reveal their participation in the ceremony out of fear of sparking angry Palestinian reaction to their participation in Israeli economic activities in light of the security tension in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
