Conference on Development and Reconstruction in West Bank

This paper presents the framework for the development of the transportation sector in the Palestinian territories. These territories, which are evolving towards being an independent state, after the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Strip and parts of the northern West Bank in August 2005, are considered to represent an economy in transition. The paper considers a medium-term developmental framework, which covers the various components of the multimodal physical transportation system, as well as the institutional infrastructure. The needs have been identified based on a diagnostic study of the conditions of the transportation system in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The transportation infrastructure suffered for about 28 years of occupation since 1967, as well as for the past five years during the current crisis. The recent and expected considerable changes on the ground require reformulation of the transportation sector development strategies. The paper presents a suggested outline for a five-year development program for the maintenance, rehabilitation, and development of the road, air, and sea transportation infrastructure. The program also identifies actions to support the development of public and freight transportation systems. It includes as well recommended policy changes to the current institutional, regulatory, and financial frameworks. Finally, the program estimates funding requirements for development of the physical infrastructure and technical assistance. The required capital investment and recurrent expenditure sum to slightly above one billion US dollars. The output can be used to facilitate approaching the international community for anticipated intervention responding to the sectoral needs.

The increased recognition now being given to culture heritage is part of the broader changes that have taken place in development thinking in the 1990s. The cultural sector is believed to be one of the main components contributing to effective economic growth rather than a drain on budgetary resources. This paper addresses the issue of how heritage is being conserved and how we as current users of space see this traditional environment. And our capabilities as restorers of this heritage depend mainly on how far can we allow for and maintain a maximum degree of authenticity and also if we can pursue the idea of mobilizing hidden resources in our interventions. Authenticity as a quality refers to the entire society and its behavior patterns and will be reflected in the continuation of tradition and traditional types of function and use. This continuity cannot be achieved by simply reproducing frozen architectural forms but must be fostered by reviving internal shaping processes. This paper will discuss the role of local organizations in Palestine in the field of conservation of historic cities as case study. It critically evaluates NGO’s contributions, their limits, accountability and performance in achieving a sustainable approach. It stress on the importance of emphasizing the values embedded in historic cities. This does not automatically imply rejecting evolutionary forms of change, nor does it mean that all historic structures should be conserved at any cost. But it does suggest that certain essential structuring principles can be revived, adopted and perpetuated to the advantage of contemporary societies. Authenticity and generating from within are two major aspects that should be considered in order to allow for a sustainable solutions.

Agricultural development is seen as a crucial part of poverty reduction strategies. In the Occupied Palestinian Territories where poverty has reached record levels since the latest Israeli invasions, agricultural development can serve the Palestinian economy by lifting it from the cycle of poverty, underdevelopment and dependency. This paper devises a theoretical framework for studying the status of agricultural development in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. It then analyses the current situation in order to recommend specific policies for the development of the agricultural sector in the territories in a manner that will ensure equitable distribution of the benefits of growth. A set of policy recommendations relating to water management, land, markets, research and extension services, access to finance and gender related issues are suggested in light of the analysis. As is usually the case in violent conflicts, planning becomes difficult due to loss of certainty and material damage due military activity. In the Occupied Palestinian Territories this takes another weight as Israel is deliberately involved in the destruction of any Palestinian development project.
However, many of these recommendations do not need Israeli consent and hence are implementable can yield the desired outcomes, provided the political will to apply them.