01/08/09, 01:01:17 UTC

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Palestinian, Israeli Tourism Cooperation Renewed

themedialine.org

Israeli and Palestinian tourism ministers met in Jerusalem on Monday to reactivate a joint committee, which stopped cooperating nearly two years ago.

The meeting did not result in any major concrete decisions, but it marked a renewed cooperation at the official level. The ministers agreed that increasing tourism was of mutual benefit and they agreed to hold regular meetings from now on.

The meeting comes at a pivotal time for the industry, as Christians flock to holy sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem ahead of Christmas.

It was also held during the run-up to the international summit in Annapolis next month, where Israelis and Palestinians hope to push the peace process forward.

The upcoming conference has opened up opportunities for more cooperation, Palestinian Tourism Minister Khuloud Daibes told The Media Line after the meeting.

“Much emphasis is being put on tourism as a tool, not only to create jobs and enhance the economy but also to create a positive environment which should support the political negotiations,” she said.

Tourism should be a major issue and should be discussed at the conference, she added.

Israeli Tourism Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch from the hawkish Yisrael Beitenu party was satisfied with the outcome of the meeting, a ministry spokesman said, and he welcomed the renewed engagement.

Aharonovitch stressed that promoting the security of civilians and tourists alike was the primary factor in maintaining a steady flow of tourists into both Israel and the Palestinian areas.

The main problems facing the Palestinian tourism industry are the restrictions imposed on tourists coming in from Israel, due to Israeli security concerns.

Daibes, an independent and a Christian, said the Palestinians would like to allow more accessibility and freer movement for tourists, which would also encourage visitors to spend more time and money in the Palestinian areas.

“The way we see it now, tourists come for a few hours to visit religious places, but they’re not staying in the Palestinian cities, so there’s no revenue for the Palestinian private sector,” Daibes said. “There’s an unfair distribution of the revenue.”

The issues brought up during the meeting were of a professional tourism-related nature and did not pertain to political developments in the region.

The meeting marks increased cooperation between the two governments since a new Palestinian government was established after Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in June.

Unlike the previous cabinet, the new government in Ramallah has no Hamas representatives, therefore posing no difficulty for Israeli officials to cooperate with it.

 Printable Version  | published Oct 10, 2007