TOKYO, 16 March 2007 — Israeli and Palestinian envoys said yesterday that economic progress could help bring peace, but brief flashes of anger at a conference in Japan showed the mistrust that remains. Japan, a key financial supporter of the Middle East peace process, wrapped up two days of talks with Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians with a symposium on confidence-building measures.
But the courteous discussions turned heated when it came to concrete issues such as sharing water in the parched region and economic disparity between Israel and the Palestinians. “I wish Israel all the luck,” Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said in comments laden with sarcasm during a panel discussion. “Such prosperity and such advancement and such economic power,” he said.
“Sure you don’t need that much of my water? You don’t need my land in the Jordan Valley?” His comments were met by a firm Israeli response, in contrast to conciliatory remarks by both sides throughout the conference. “We want two things,” said Ariel Zief, vice president of the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce. “Stop terror and recognize the state of Israel. Then we will see to it to talk about other things,” he said.
Japan, which is seeking a larger role in the Middle East, convened the meeting to push forward its plan to build an agro-industrial park to bring jobs to the West Bank. The closed-door talks on Wednesday also brought together Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Farouk Kasrawi, an adviser to Jordan’s King Abdallah.
“They spoke of the window of opportunity available today, but the horizon of hope is fast receding,” Japan’s special Middle East envoy Tatsuo Arima said. Israeli official Haim Divon said that projects brokered by third countries, such as Japan and Jordan, could be “the answer.”
