The Aix Group was formed in 2002 under the auspices of the Université Paul Cézanne-Aix-Marseille III in France, and in coordination with the Peres Center for Peace in Israel and DATA Center for Studies and Research in the Palestinian Authority.
The group includes Israeli, Palestinian and International economic experts, academics, members of economic organizations, and officials from international institutions that research, produce and disseminate position papers which seek to identify economic scenarios and propose economic recommendations, in order to promote win-win outcomes for Palestinians and Israelis.
Many of the group Members are highly experienced professionals coming from various academicals and none academicals well known institutions, offering their significant experience in the fields of trade, economics, finance, urban planning, labor and manufacturing policies. Besides those local professionals, international participants from various well known organizations offered their knowledge and experience.
The Aix Group published its first joint Palestinian-Israeli-International position paper in January 2004, entitled "Economic Road Map". The joint research paper examines optional models for long-term Palestinian-Israeli economic relations, and is written with Stage III (permanent status arrangements) of the Quartet's political Road Map in mind. The research assesses future policy options in the trade, labor, fiscal, monetary and investment policy areas.
In May 2005, the Aix Group published its second joint position paper, entitled "Israel and Palestine: Between Disengagement and the Economic Road Map". In this research paper, the Aix Group analyzes the risks and benefits of the unilateral Disengagement Plan from Gaza and the northern West Bank, implemented by Israel in July 2005. The potential outcomes resulting from the disengagement are examined, as is the potential affect of the disengagement on the revival of the Palestinian economy. Additionally, there is an assessment of the conditions that must exist in order to link the Disengagement Plan with the optimal solution for long term economic relations between the two countries, as presented in the "Economic Road Map".
In November 2005, the Aix Group received an EU grant and accordingly, commenced their third stage of research, entitled: "Exploring the Economic Dimensions of a 'Two State' Final Status Agreement between Israel and Palestine". During this two-year program, 40 Aix Group members will work in four joint working groups, researching issues of long-term significance with regards to the peace process and final status negotiations.
The Steering Committee of the Aix Group is comprised of five members:
Prof. Gilbert Benhayoun - Director of the CEREFI, Université Paul Cézanne-Aix-Marseille III, and Chairman of the Aix Group.
Mr. Saeb Bamya - Palestinian Coordinator of the Aix Group.
Prof. Arie Arnon - Prof. of Economics at Ben Gurion University and Israeli coordinator of the Aix Group.
Dr. Ron Pundak - Director General, The Peres Center for Peace.
Dr. Samir Hazboun - Executive Director, DATA Center for Studies and Research