Sneh: The security aspect

[question everything]

May 24, 2007 Edition 20 Volume 5
bitterlemons-international
The security aspect

Ephraim Sneh

Palestinian economic development and the creation of jobs in the Gaza Strip and West Bank are vital components of any political progress. Hamas and the other terrorist organizations are interested in poverty and despair. Those who seek Israeli-Palestinian peace want economic development and growth.

Industrial zones are an efficient instrument for creating jobs, increasing employment and advancing economic development in the territories. A variety of practical considerations - particularly available transport, convenient raw materials supply and export channels - render it preferable to establish these industrial zones near the Palestinian border with Israel. The combination of Israeli and Palestinian investors generates a shared interest that ensures stability and creates the basis for normal relations between the two peoples.

A number of countries have shown an interest in these industrial zones, both from an economic standpoint and as a constructive form of involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Thus, in 2000 Germany laid the cornerstone for a joint industrial zone north of Jenin; Turkish industrialists are working to rebuild the Erez industrial zone in the northern Gaza Strip; and the prime minister of Japan initiated an agro-industry park for processing agricultural produce in the Jericho region.

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But Israel also has security concerns that are linked to the proximity of these industrial zones to its territory. It is feared that terrorist organizations will exploit the special status of these zones in order to infiltrate suicide bombers or explosive charges into Israel. This has already happened. Two suicide bombers penetrated the Ashdod port and carried out a lethal attack after having been smuggled behind a false panel inside a container transported from Gaza via the Karni terminal. And the grounds of the Erez industrial zone have repeatedly witnessed the penetration of terrorists via tunnels to the Israeli side; ultimately the entire industrial zone at Erez had to be dismantled and thousands of Palestinians lost their livelihoods.

The security dangers that justifiably concern us can be dealt with through a combination of technical and operational means. Video cameras, "smart" fences and scanners will be part of the practical solution. A Palestinian security apparatus with a clear interest in maintaining security will also be needed. It is worth our while to invest in these solutions: at the end of the day, if the industrial zones are operated successfully they will constitute a significant contribution to the security of both peoples.

bitterlemons-international.org.

Ephraim Sneh is Israel's deputy minister of defense.

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