March 2009
The Trade Facilitation Project is designed to facilitate the movement of goods and people into and out of the West Bank and Gaza. The project works with the public and private sector to boost trade and economic opportunities in the West Bank and Gaza.
Project activities will:
• Support facility and equipment upgrades on the Palestinian side of select crossing points with Israel
• Build capacity of Palestinian Authority Customs and modernize the administration and procedures consistent with international best practices
• Help establish an appropriate PA presence to effectively manage crossings and borders in a way that improves the flow of trade and promotes transparency
• Support continual dialog between Palestinian traders, PA officials, Israeli authorities, and the international community to help identify and ease critical movement and access restrictions
• Promote greater use of risk management techniques, such as the "Known Trader" approach, in order to minimize waiting and processing times at crossing points
• Support the use of advance shipment information
• Support administrative and logistical improvements at Allenby Bridge that make the crossing more cost-effective for exporters and importers
• Establish a trade information portal to serve as a primary source of consistent, reliable, and up-to-date information on a variety of trade related issues
Anticipated results include:
• Increased volumes of imports and exports
• Reduced transportation costs for Palestinian shippers
• Increased knowledge of trade information, including up-to-date import/export and crossing point procedures
• Strengthened relations between Palestinian and Israeli private and public sectors
Rationale:
One of the fundamental constraints on Palestinian economic development is the restrictions on movement and access at crossings and borders in the West Bank and Gaza. Facilitating trade to enhance Palestinian economic growth is a vital component of the U.S. Government’s support to the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.
Since September 2000, the Palestinian economy has experienced a general decline. The downturn has been largely the result of the imposition of border closures both within the West Bank and externally in response to security incidents in Israel. These closures disrupted trade and barred many Palestinians from jobs in the Israeli economy. |
