A firsthand report from Israel
continued from page 3

ers are not sure about each other.

We visited Ramallah, which functions as the de facto capital of the Palestinian Authority (although the hope of the Palestinians is to have their capital in Jerusalem). Although no one claimed significant progress, Salim Fayyad, prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, stated that he believed the political process among the United States, the PA and Israel would lead to peace. He pointed out that the West Bank economy is currently growing at an official rate of 7 percent, and actually growing at close to 12 percent this year. As economic progress is occurring, “the street is beginning to develop a sense of empowerment.” As the economy improves, so does the attitude of the citizenry. Mohammed Mustafa, director of the Palestine Investment Fund, projects investment of $800 million in West Bank development, which he feels can be leveraged to $4 billion, with 100,000 new jobs in the short or medium term.

Unfortunately, there is no movement on Gaza; Hamas is perceived by almost all the players as intransigent and still unwilling to accept the presence of a Jewish state in the region. Not even the most optimistic of those we met with could foresee any movement on this front.

Dr. Stephen Stone, a Springfield dermatologist, is a vice chair of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.