Japan's industrial plan for peace in Mideast
JERICHO, West Bank - Japan's foreign minister launched plans yesterday for a joint Israeli-Palestinian industrial park in the West Bank that he said would promote peace in the region through prosperity.
JERICHO, West Bank - Japan's foreign minister launched plans yesterday for a joint Israeli-Palestinian industrial park in the West Bank that he said would promote peace in the region through prosperity.
The Japanese initiative comes amid a flurry of new diplomatic activity to bolster Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas after the June takeover of the Gaza Strip by the rival Islamist group Hamas. The international community has tried to strengthen Abbas' West Bank-based administration with financial aid and efforts to restart peace talks between his government and Israel.
Plans for the park in the city of Jericho include factories and canneries, a commercial bridge over the Jordan River, and an airport for Palestinian goods on the Jordanian side of the border, said deputy Palestinian Foreign Minister Ahmed Sobeh.
The officials did not mention a starting date for the project, which was first announced in March in Tokyo. They said only that technical teams would meet in October.
Disputes remain between Israel and the Palestinians over the precise location of the park and sovereignty over the planned bridge, Sobeh told the Associated Press, adding that progress would depend on the "political climate" between the sides.
Past attempts to set up similar projects have foundered due to outbreaks of Israeli-Palestinian violence. Efforts to spur cooperation between the two sides have intensified recently ahead of a Mideast peace conference the United States expects to host this fall.
























