The Quartet’s Representative Tony Blair met today with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Brussels to discuss the Palestinian macroeconomic situation and the Palestinian Authority budget.
The development agenda in 2012 focuses on seven thematic areas related to the economic growth and institution-building, specifically:
- Private sector development
- Promoting movement, access and trade facilitation
- Area C development
- Reconstructing and opening up Gaza economically;
- Improving living and business conditions in East Jerusalem;
- Improving the rule of law covering the judicial and security sectors;
- Strengthening the PA fiscal position.
In the past, the Quartet – under Tony Blair’s leadership – has already made significant progress in many of those areas, including:
- An increase in the number of products being allowed into Gaza;
- Implementation of major sanitation projects in Gaza;
- Construction of schools and clinics in Area C;
- Export of agricultural goods from Gaza;
- Approval of new construction projects in Gaza;
- Opening of checkpoints in the West Bank to allow Arab-Israeli access to all major Palestinian cities and Palestinian businessmen to conduct a full day’s business in Jordan;
- Increase in permits for Palestinians to work in Israel;
- Millions in budget support to the Palestinian Authority from Abu Dhabi;
- Successful change of address for West Bank residents with Gazan IDs
As always, the British press dutifully reported all of the above achievements and praised Tony Blair for his commitment – not.
