Along with the more-prominent political negotiations, the Middle East peace process has its economic component.
And this week, one important part of that economic component began to take shape.
On Tuesday, Vice President A1 Gore announced the long-awaited formation of Builders for Peace, a private-sector organization composed of Jewish and Arab Americans interested in investment in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The idea behind Builders for Peace is that the economy in the West Bank and Gaza is sorely in need of stimulation, and that the stimulation would create better economic conditions that would in turn foster progress in the peace process.
“By bringing the benefits of improved relations directly into the lives of the people affected by it, the success of this effort will help strengthen the overall peace process and contribute to one of America’s top foreign policy objectives,” Gore said at a news conference Tuesday announcing the group’s formation.
The administration has been pushing for the formation of such a group since the Sept. 13 signing of the Israeli-Palestinian accord.
Following that accord, the administration organized an international donors conference that raised at least $2 billion for the Palestinians from governments around the world.
‘WE GOT OFF TO A GOOD START’
Builders for Peace, although it will receive cooperation from the administration, will involve private funds.
The group will serve as a clearinghouse of information for people wishing to invest in the West Bank and Gaza, and probably elsewhere in the region as well.
The group’s co-presidents are former California Rep. Mel Levine, a staunch supporter of Israel, and Arab American Institute head James Zogby, a top Arab American leader.
Both Levine and Zogby spoke Tuesday of the pleasure they felt in working together on a Middle East issue after being on opposite sides for so long.
There will be between 20 and 25 people on the group’s board of directors.
And there will be between 50 and 60 people on the group’s board of advisers.
Almost all of the people involved are either Jewish or Arab American, and they include businesspeople and community leaders.
Top administration officials from the departments of State and Commerce, the Overseas Private Investment Corp. and other agencies briefed the boards.
Elmer Winter, a member of the board of advisers, said, “We got off to a good start.”
But he also observed that there are “many unmet problems” surrounding the enterprise.
Also Tuesday, representatives of the United States, Israel and Jordan held a trilateral meeting at the State Department to discuss economic issues.
The three-way group was established in October when Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Jordan’s Crown Prince Hassan met with President Clinton at the White House.
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