EREZ, Gaza Strip, 6 January 2006 — Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul promised economic support for the Palestinians yesterday as he toured a decaying industrial zone in the Gaza Strip which Turkish businessmen are planning to revive. Gul inked an agreement with the Palestinian Authority on which would see the Erez industrial zone in the northern Gaza Strip open under the management of Turkey’s Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges.
He signed a similar deal with his Israeli counterpart Silvan Shalom that Ankara hopes would pave the way for Israeli support for the project, diplomats said. But with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon hospitalized due to a massive stroke, the signing ceremony was reduced to a low-profile event closed to the press. Much of the rest of Gul’s program in Jerusalem on the second and last day of his visit to the region was canceled. A senior Israeli diplomat told AFP that despite the uncertainty surrounding Sharon’s health and the country’s political future, the Israeli side was determined to go ahead with the signing in a show of support for the project.
A joint declaration signed by Gul and Shalom said Israel had agreed to coordinate with Turkey “practical arrangements for the facilitation of the operation of the Erez Industrial Zone, including the usage of Israeli maritime ports for exports and imports to and from the Erez Industrial Zone.”
It said, however, that access and movement of goods between the area and Israel and all other activities carried out there “will be subject to the security situation at any given time.” The Erez industrial zone was once held up as a model of cooperation, with Israeli businesses hiring thousands of Palestinian workers at its peak. However, it was closed some 18 months ago following a number of attacks by Palestinian militants.
Walking past derelict workshops with gaping doors, the streets littered with rusting pieces of metal and broken glass, Gul promised that the Turkish initiative would turn the area into a thriving industrial center. “We believe this area will be revitalized in a short time, supporting the establishment of the Palestinian industry on one side, and providing jobs for thousands of Palestinians on the other,” Gul said.
“The goods manufactured here will be exported all around the world duty free,” he said. “The zone will become a very attractive area for businessmen.” Infrastructure construction in the zone is expected to begin in late March and the first Turkish enterprise to open in July.
