Israel-Palestine conflict and globalisation
3. From your perspective and experience does globalization have the potential to resolve a conflict not related to this phenomenon, for example, the Israel-Palestine conflict, or to possibly make it worse?
Answer by Jana Hybášková:
From my perspective globalization in its overall result is neutral. Certainly, it has great potential of being positive engine of change. Globalization is kind of a river flow, bringing lot of energy. If the energy is used in sustainable manner, supporting not only foreign trade, industry and financial sector and related parts of societies, but if managed carefully, as inclusive public development, it can bring great benefit. If not, in cases, geographical as well as “social” places are left behind; they fall into marginalization and exclusion.
In Europe, we have a great tool - cohesion funds. NUTS, geographical-statistical areas displaying less than 60 % level of average GDP should prepare development plans, than co financed by EU. Cohesion fund of the strongest economy of the world, which EU is, is a great example of positively managed globalization. Cohesion fund develops infrastructure, sometimes it is understood to help only construction lobby. If managed properly, it solves environmental issues, industrial declines, re populates rural areas, helps ecological fishing, preserves identity, re creates traditional service sector…
Europe distributes important financial aid within the frame of European neighborhood policy – ENP. ENP program in this financial perspective represents annually 600 million Euros for instance for Egypt, similar is allocation for Syria and Palestine. This money can be used for recreating small and media businesses in all mentioned countries, can help co finance micro credit loans, agricultural exports, can be used to recovery of energy grids, water and waste water treatment, and of course classical infrastructure. You might try to go to AIDCO website, to see the type of projects financed be EU in the areas, hit by Arab Israeli conflict.
Current Israeli government tries to minimize public damage of occupation – or reconciliation. The first step was to open for “economic development “of the West bank. If the West Bank is more free of checkpoints, has a better infrastructure, can export its production to EU, can built small and media companies, repair taxation system, pay for better education, functioning administration and police, the live in West Bank will improve substantially. If the citizens of West Bank can be employed, send their kids to school, repair their houses, achieve basic health care system, live in bit more clean and safe environment, they will definitely decline to support Martyrs, terrorist, Hamas.
Precondition is clear: The world, Israelis and Palestinian they should allow for West Bank to be opened to globalization, and to be totally left behind, as it happens now. How to achieve it? The issue very much is time planning. We can not call first for substantial increase of security, and than allow for economic development. The process should be parallel – gradual opening, gradual increase of opportunity, gradual plug in to globalization, gradual decrease of security threat. If managed properly, globalization can bring potential energy. The higher the security risk, the higher the security measures, the lower the chance to globalization refreshment. The wise decisions of EU are together with the US support the functioning security sector: the police, state prosecution, and prison and detention system. If Palestinians are able to control their own security threats, it will be much easier to pressure Israel to decrease security measures. If this happens, West Bank can be more open to globalization chance.
Short negative scenario: If Syria decides seriously for the peace with Israel, and signs unilateral peace treaty with it, then the world donor, financial and trade support will go in this direction. Syria will earn enormous potential sharing water resources and land with Israel. It will gain big market, enormous investment. If “dreamy” scenario goes well, Israel can develop Syrian oil and gas sector. West Bank will stay occupied, backyard territory, left out of any economic opportunity. Hundreds years old disputes between Palestinians and Syrians will be resolved.