A pair of Israeli and Palestinian business leaders are hoping their joint initiative can spur investment in one of the most politically charged regions of the world – the West Bank – and are seeking a boost from allies in the Trump administration to make it a reality.
Ashraf Jabari, a Palestinian businessman from Hebron, and Avi Zimmerman, a former international spokesman for an Israeli settlement, believe their grassroots movement can promote investments in a region that has long faced violence and turbulent economic conditions amid ongoing conflict among local leaders.
The two traveled to Washington, D.C., this month to meet with lawmakers and build up recognition for their project, named The Judea and Samaria Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Their goal is to spark investment in the West Bank in five areas: manufacturing, technology, tourism, infrastructure and environmental renewal.
The name of their organization itself is isolating from Palestinians. Referring to the West Bank as Judea and Samaria is considered political, given that it’s the Biblical Jewish name for the area – something right-wing Israelis tout as evidence for Jewish land claims dating back more than 2,000 years.
Jabari says that working with Israelis is about adopting the language that they use, both speaking in Hebrew and using terms that acknowledge the situation on the ground. “The reality is an Israeli presence in the region,” he says in Hebrew and translated by Zimmerman.
The business leaders face other cultural barriers in their partnership: For a Palestinian to partner with an Israeli settler can amount to treason in the Palestinian community, with punishments ranging from being ostracized to facing extreme threats of violence.
Jabari says he personally feels safe but can understand why other Palestinian’s would stay away or play down interactions with Israelis.
He is dismissed by Palestinians as working on the fringes of society in his interactions with Israeli settlers – underscoring the steep opposition their project faces from gaining wider Palestinian or international support.
And while the duo are forced to operate within the realities on the ground, they believe they have an advantage in their efforts with powerful allies in the Trump administration.
The summit was boycotted by the Palestinian Authority and more prominent Palestinian business leaders. The Trump administration has had strained relations with the Palestinian Authority the past two years after President Trump announced that the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the U.S. embassy there.
Jabari and Zimmerman are also working to build ties with U.S. lawmakers. They said Rep. Rashida TlaibRashida Harbi TlaibOn The Money: Trump claims Hong Kong ‘obliterated’ without his action | Xi says China not afraid to ‘fight back’ | Tlaib offers bill to repeal ‘opportunity zones Tlaib introduces bill to repeal ‘opportunity zones’ Warren adds Ayanna Pressley as campaign co-chair MORE’s (D-Mich.) office reached out to them when the congresswoman, who is the daughter of Palestinian immigrants, was planning to travel to the Palestinian territories, before she was blocked from entering Israel. Her office did not respond to a request for comment.
The two men did host a delegation of Republican lawmakers at Jabari’s home in Hebron in August. They included Reps. Cathy McMorris RodgersCathy McMorris RodgersThe Suburban Caucus: Solutions for America’s suburbs Shimkus announces he will stick with plan to retire after reconsidering Bipartisan group reveals agricultural worker immigration bill MORE (R-Wash.), Ann Wagner
Ann Louise WagnerThe Suburban Caucus: Solutions for America’s suburbs Bottom Line On The Money: Tax, loan documents for Trump properties reportedly showed inconsistencies | Tensions flare as Dems hammer Trump consumer chief | Critics pounce as Facebook crypto project stumbles MORE (R-Mo.), Phil Roe
David (Phil) Phillip RoeMark Takano keeps using partisan tactics when legislating veterans issues Michelle Obama, Elizabeth Dole call for national unity at Heroes and History Makers event Private equity-funded doctors coalition spends million lobbying on ‘surprise’ medical billing MORE (R-Tenn.) and Bradley Byrne
Bradley Roberts ByrneSessions vows to ‘work for’ Trump endorsement Trump attends football game with Jeff Sessions’ Alabama Senate race opponent Bradley Byrne The Hill’s Campaign Report: Bloomberg looks to upend Democratic race MORE (R-Ala.).
Rodgers, who is also the Republican Representative to the United Nations, called the two men’s initiative “an untold story in the West Bank.”
“Sheikh Ashraf Jabari told us the economic relationship between Palestinians and Israelis is basic, strong, and can’t be separate,” she said in a statement to The Hill, using a formal title to address Jabari.
“In a strong bipartisan way, we should be supporting the grassroots movement for economic cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians. It’s foundational to achieve peace in the region.”
Israel oversees the majority of the flow of goods and services into areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority, putting Palestinian businesses on more unequal footing. Unemployment in the West Bank among Palestinians is around 15 percent, according to the World Bank.
More than 1 million Palestinians worked in Israel in October, according to the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories, the Israeli administration that handles civilian matters in the West Bank.
But Jabari and Zimmerman note that any change in the security or political situation could ground those interactions to a halt.
“We have a certain set of givens within which we work and those givens can change any day,” Zimmerman told The Hill.
Meanwhile, approximately 400,000 Israelis live in communities described as settlements in the West Bank, recognized as illegal under international law by the global community and criticized as expanding on territory designated for any future, sovereign Palestinian state.
In addition to communities, Israeli settlements boast a university and numerous businesses including farms, wineries and manufacturing plants that employ Palestinians. Roads that connect Israeli and Palestinian communities lead to shared commerce centers in the West Bank.
While the international community views settlements as a barrier to a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Zimmerman and Jabari argue that economic ties between Israelis and Palestinians must be supported to ensure the success of any peace plan.
“Whatever those circumstances will be from a political solution perspective, we already know that the stronger our integrated business community is, the more people will benefit in the future under any political circumstance.”
Earlier this month, the European Court of Justice ruled that products made in Israeli settlements must be identified as such, rather than being labeled as “made in Israel.”
After the administration announced it would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move its embassy there, it further isolated the Palestinian Authority by cutting off all funding for government and humanitarian projects, closing their representative office in Washington and ending the U.S. mission to Palestinians in Jerusalem.
Jabari, one of the last links between the administration and the Palestinians, encouraged outside individuals to see the situation on the ground for themselves.
“Anyone who wants to come is welcome to see this reality for themselves,” he said through translation. “Come for a tour of an Israeli factory where they’re hiring Palestinian employees and you’ll understand. After that let them draw their own conclusions.”
