Likud lawmaker and former Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat has a plan of his own for improving the economic situation in Judea and Samaria.
Unlike the model offered by US President Donald Trump ahead of the economic summit in Bahrain, which pertains to Areas A and B, Barkat's plan focuses on Area C, which is under Israeli control and comprises some 60% of the territory in Judea and Samaria, and is home to over 400,000 Israelis.
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According to Barkat's plan, mutual Arab-Israel economic prosperity will be achieved as a result of cooperation between the two communities. Barkat reached this conclusion upon collaborating with Professor Michael Porter, an international expert on business management at Harvard University and the author of "The Competitive Advantage of Nations."
After holding a few tours of Judea and Samaria, and learning about the joint Israeli-Palestinian industrial areas there, the two concluded that 12 industrial areas should be established that will employ over 200,000 Palestinians. Today, some 30,000 Palestinians are employed in Area C, around half of them in industrial areas and the remainder in settlements.
Alongside the places that are already in the planning and construction phases, the two propose building four new industrial areas and logistical centers in northern Samaria, Maaleh Adumim and the Palestinian village of Tarqumiyah in the southern Hebron hills, so that the area can be easily accessible for Israelis as well as Palestinians.
The plan also calls for the establishment of a giant industrial park in Judea and Samaria that will employ some 100,000 people, as well as three additional parks that, together, will employ some 168,000 people.
Barkat and Porter believe that if implemented, their plan will double the average Palestinian employee's salary.
As they noted in a presentation seen by senior US and Israeli officials, as well as Israel Hayom, "Work and quality of life will bring peace and security."
The second layer of their plan is based on the development of the tourism industry in Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, with a focus on biblical sites in the area, such as the Cave of the Patriarchs and Solomon's Pools. The assumption is that this will inject money into both the Arab and Jewish sectors, as it will Palestinian workers that are largely employed by the tourist centers, as is the case with Jerusalem's tourism industry.
Barkat and Porter presented their plan to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu two months ago, who welcomed it at the time, as well as to senior Trump advisers Jason Greenblatt and Jared Kushner.
"The plan's working assumption is avoiding the eviction of Jewish or Arab residents from their homes," Barkat explained. "Our goal is to take advantage of the relative advantage every society has. The Israeli side can bring the innovation, the capital and managerial knowledge for the benefit of the Palestinian side, which through working in these industrial areas could significantly increase its income. This is a plan that is also good for the settlements, and all the settlement heads have welcomed it."
According to Barkat, his plan has a higher chance of success than the US administration's because it does not require the Palestinian Authority's cooperation to succeed.
"The administration's plan does not focus on Area C, where we are focusing, but on Areas A and B only. From this standpoint, our plan complements that of the administration."
