The Aix Group Meets with Israeli and Palestinian High Level Officials

The Steering Committee presents main findings and recommendations of the new research of the Aix Group to Israeli, Palestinian and international officials

In order to present the findings of the Aix Group's research, the Steering Committee has held a series of meetings, including with former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala), Chief of Staff at the Israeli Prime Minister's Office Mr. Yoram Turbovicz, Political Adviser to the Israeli Prime Minister Mr. Shalom Turjeman, Head of the National Economic Council Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg, Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr. Aharon Abramovich, as well as with the Chief of the Economic Section at the US Consulate Mr. Jonathan Carpenter and his Deputy, Mr. Steven O'Dowd.

During these meetings, the Steering Committee presented the main findings and recommendations of the soon-to-be published research of the Aix Group, and in particular focused on core issues related to solving the issue of the Palestinian Refugees as well as possible future arrangements in Jerusalem.

Highlights of the Meetings

Former Palestinian Prime Minister Abu Ala expressed his appreciation for the comprehensive work presented by the Aix Group, and particularly in regard to the issue of Palestinian Refugees. Abu Ala listened to the Aix Group's assumptions and called the Group to continue its efforts and deepen its analysis on the issues of refugees.

In the meeting at the Prime Minister's office, Prof. Trajtenberg applauded the unique approach practiced by the Aix Group which is based on tackling core final-status issues through an economic lens. He added that such work should be broadly disseminated to the wider public, in order to show and make clear that a comprehensive solution to the conflict is possible. Mr. Turbovicz, who is already familiar with previous research of the Aix Group, and in particular the "Economic Road Map", was open to hearing the recommendations presented by the Group, and was impressed by the practical and pragmatic approach of the research.

Attendees at the meeting with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs included Director General Mr. Aharon Abramovich, Deputy Director General Mr. Yossi Gal, and Head of Bureau of Middle Eastern Economic Affairs at the Ministry Ms. Irit Ben-Abba. Mr. Abramovich expressed the need to reach a long-term solution to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which would secure two states for the two people. Mr. Abramovich welcomed the work of the Group and commented on some of the recommendations presented to him. All attendees expressed their interest in receiving the final copy of the research, in order to further explore the solutions presented.

The pragmatic and practical research work of the Aix Group is, and will continue to be, highly relevant, especially after the Annapolis meeting scheduled for the end of November", said Jonathan Carpenter, Chief of the Economic Section at the US Consulate in Jerusalem. He added that the Aix Group's research should not only reach relevant key figures in the current and future negotiation teams who will have to deal with the above mentioned core issues, but also should reach the wider public, in order to encourage understanding of such thinking in the two societies. Mr. Carpenter reacted positively to the Aix Group's presentation, and offered his assistance in regard to setting up meetings with American officials visiting the region, in order to inform them about the scenarios and recommendations offered by the Aix Group.

Final Conference of the Aix Group's third Stage of Research

From September 7th-8th, 2007, the Aix Group held the Final Conference within its Third Stage of Research in Paris, France.

Some 50 Israeli, Palestinian and international participants attended the conference in Paris, France, and were introduced to the final drafts of the research studies on the issues of (1) Cooperation in Jerusalem under different scenarios; (2) Economic aspects of resolving the issue of the Palestinian refugees; (3) Cooperation on various infrastructure issues; and (4) "Fast Track" – an examination of topics of contemporary importance, including Palestinian labor in Israel, Transitional Trade arrangements and more. The participants were given the opportunity to provide advice and feedback, both on the final drafts that were presented as well as on additional related issues.

Among the Israeli participants were senior representatives from the Israeli Ministry of Finance, representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Economic Council, the Foreign Trade Administration within the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor, the Bank of Israel, the National Security Council, and the Manufacturers' Association of Israel. Among the Palestinian participants were representatives from the private sector as well as notable representation from the various ministries and institutions of the public sector. The international participants included the West Bank and the Gaza Country Director of the World Bank, representatives from the European Union, the European Commission, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the International Monetary Fund.

The conference was launched with an address by a Representative of the French Foreign Affairs Ministry, Mr. Jean Felix-Paganon, who welcomed the Aix Group and emphasized the importance of its cooperative work and the continued support of the French Foreign Ministry in its future research activities. Thereafter, Group members participated in several discussions on the drafts. Such discussions were practical and productive, notwithstanding the sensitivity of the research topics and the diverse viewpoints of the participants. The Group concluded the first day of discussions by meeting with the French Secretary of State for Urban Policies Ms. Fadela Amara, who highlighted the relevance of the Group's work.

The second day featured additional discussions, and a meeting with the Israeli Vice Prime Minister Mr. Haim Ramon, the Palestinian Minister of National Economy Mr. Kamal Hassouna, and the French Secretary of State for European Affairs Mr. Jean-Pierre Jouyet. The Group presented its work to the honored guests, raising several questions and concerns as well as asking for their assistance in promoting a just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict that takes into account the Group's thorough economic analysis and recommendations.

With the conclusion of the conference, the Aix Group continues to finalize the research with the final paper expected to be published and released in the near future. The paper will be disseminated in four languages (English, Hebrew, Arabic and French), and will be distributed to numerous leading Middle East and international decision-makers.

Aix Group's Members Meet with Deputy Defense Minister, Mr. Efraim Sneh

Members of the Aix Group met with the Deputy Minister of Defense, Mr. Efraim Sneh and his team to discuss various avenues for strengthening the Palestinian private sector

On January, 2007 the Steering Committee and additional members of the Aix Group have met with Deputy Defense Ministe, Mr. Efraim Sneh and his team to to discuss various avenues for strengthening the Palestinian private sector.

The members emphasized the crucial role of the Palestinian private sector in the road to economic recovery and prosperity for the Palestinian Authority. Among other issues discussed, they urged Mr. Sneh to facilitate and support international initiatives to build joint industrial zones, such as the Turkish initiative to re-establish the Erez industrial zone, to cancel discriminatory policies which harm the Palestinian private sector, to re-consider the planned labor policy of 2008 according to which Palestinian workers will not be allowed to enter Israel, and most importantly, to try and find the balance between Israel's security concerns and the related obstacles and impediments to Palestinian trade. Mr. Sneh stated that the Ministry is making concerted efforts to change the current harmful policies in favor of the Palestinian private sector.