According to a 181-page report published on Wednesday, the dependence of Palestinian economy on foreign aid coupled with a significant drop in manufacturing and agriculture during the past decades are the main hurdles facing Palestinian march toward statehood.
The bank stressed that restrictions imposed by the Israeli regime on Palestine’s trade can be regarded as one of the most serious obstacles to the independence of Palestine.
John Nasir, the author of the report, stated that the Palestinian “economy is currently not strong enough to support such a state.”
“Economic sustainability cannot be based on foreign aid, so it is critical for the Palestinian Authority (PA) to increase trade and spur private sector growth,” he added.
The report flatly contradicted the claim made by International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2011 about the readiness of Palestine for establishing a “strong banking system.”
More than 100 countries have so far officially recognized Palestine as a sovereign state based on the 1967 borders, the boundaries that existed before the Israeli regime captured and annexed East al-Quds (Jerusalem), the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian officials have been campaigning to achieve UN recognition for an independent state based on the pre-1967 borders at the UN General Assembly meeting in later September.
The United States, however, has repeatedly threatened to veto the PA’s bid at the United Nations Security Council.
MAM/SS
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