The Aix Group has begun its Fourth Stage of Research in 2008, after publishing the "Economics Dimensions of a Two-State Agreement between Israel and Palestine" in November 2007. The phase IV work is expected to be published in the summer of 2009; it covers five issues:

(1) "The Big Picture": The Political and Economic Alternatives Facing the Israelis and Palestinians" includes an analysis of the major issues affecting Israelis and Palestinians in 2009 explaining the failure to achieve a permanent agreement so far. The paper focuses on Aix Group's reverse engineering approach and addresses also the asymmetry in power between the two sides. click here.

(2) The Territorial Link paper analyses the important geographical, and economic contiguity of the Palestinian state; how to connect the West Bank and Gaza and what are the best options from both sides' perspectives.

(3) The Jordan Valley paper unveils the potential of this region for the Palestinian economy; how to move forward economically, with identified immediate, short and medium term actions. click here.

(4) The Palestinian Refugees paper covers further mechanisms on both the national and international levels which are necessary to implement a solution, and the roles and responsibilities of each party in the implementation; In particular the paper elaborate the work of the Group in 2007 by proposing a more detailed structure for the International Agency for the Palestinian Refugees (IAPR) and explains that this agency should start working as soon as possible.

(5) The Union for the Mediterranean paper analyses specific initiatives which need to be undertaken by all parties and especially by the EU in order to ensure that an equitable agreement between Israelis and Palestinians is reached, and the idea of a Mediterranean Union is successfully implemented.

The objectives of this phase in the Aix Group work, undertaken by joint Israeli-Palestinian-international working groups, is to examine the economic dimensions of the conflict, including current economic and political issues which affect the final status negotiations and inform decision-makers and the public.

To download previous Publication of the Aix Group:

• Economic Road Map: English Hebrew Arabic French 
• Israel and Palestine: Between Disengagement and the Economic Road Map English Hebrew Arabic
• "Economic Dimensions of a Two-State Agreement Between Israel and Palestine"
  English  Hebrew Arabic French

 

Paris Conference

On March 13-14, The Aix Group held a conference in Paris in order to discuss the above five papers. In the working sessions of the conference, senior representatives of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Commission took place, among them Dr. Christian Berger, the European Commission Representative in Jerusalem.

The Group also presented the papers to officials from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Commission, and to a formal public event, held by the Group in the city-hall of Paris (Hotel de Ville), in the presence of Mr. Bertrand Delanoë, the mayor of Paris.

To access the speech of Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (March 13) click here.