Translated by Sabrin Qadah 

The head of the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction- PECDAR D. Mohammed Shtayyeh, called to create Palestinian Japanese partnerships and attract Japanese investment, especially in the field of technology, in addition to opening the Japanese markets for the Palestinian products to move the relationship between Japan and Palestine from an aid to partnership and interests relationship.

He added during a conference to introduce the features and services of the agricultural and industrial city of Jericho, which was held yesterday in Jericho with organization from the Bank of Palestine, that the site of the industrial zone in Jericho is important and geostrategic, where the area of ​​the Jordan Valley is one of the most important pillars of the Palestinian state that Israel targets and seeks to annex through settlements, confiscation of land and declaring it a military area.

He said that Jericho industrial zone represents a model of success for being the first industrial zone to see the light after the destruction of the industrial zone in Gaza by the Israeli occupation. Besides its importance in expanding the productive base of the Palestinian economy, and create jobs for young people.

Shtayyeh stressed the need to strengthen the quality of national products and increase the quantity of agricultural production, noting that agriculture used to constitute 42% of the total national economy in 1967, while today it represents about only 4%. He stressed the importance of providing Palestinian products that can be able to compete by strengthening the role of industrial zones in order to protect the national alternatives for the success of the boycott, and then for the success of products export process to industrial and agricultural areas.

Shtayyeh recommended the necessity for the developer company to start the second phase of the industrial and agricultural city of Jericho, which has an area of ​​475 acres, and to provide more incentives for investors. He also called on banks to grant facilities to productive loans and make it a priority in order to encourage investors to start their projects and develop them, thus creating jobs.

Shtayeh expressed his gratitude to Japan for its assistance to the Palestinian people in the infrastructure and technical assistance, training, and strengthening the role of the private sector, particularly praising the efforts made by the Ambassador Takesha Okubo.

It is noteworthy that the establishment of an agro-industrial zone in Jericho was a contribution from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to push forward the establishment of a viable Palestinian state with an integrated system of sustainable economic development through the development of agro-industry, encouragement of investment, promotion of trade and creation of jobs in the city of Jericho and the Jordan Valley in particular, and in Palestine in general, with regional cooperation with neighboring countries.