Foreword – The Context for this Report

The Rationale for Periodic Assessments

The World Bank presented to the December 8, 2004 meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) a report (Stagnation or Revival? Israeli Disengagement and Palestinian Economic Prospects) which argued that rapid Palestinian economic revival is essential to sustaining the momentum of a renewed peace process, but that it will only come about if there is
A drastic improvement in the security environment;
A dismantling of the various post-September 28, 2000 restrictions on the movement of Palestinian people and goods; and
Dynamic progress on Palestinian governance reform and institution-building.
If these preconditions for economic revival emerge, it was argued, a major increase in donor assistance levels could have a transformational effect. In furtherance of this premise the Bank identified an agenda of key measures “which, if implemented, will lay the basis for the economic revival of the West Bank and Gaza” (see Annex 3). These measures are consistent with the obligations of the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority specified under Phase I of the Roadmap. As a corollary to this virtuous sequence, the Bank noted that a quantum increase in donor financing would be hard to justify if meaningful progress in security, closure and reform policy was not made—both because the impact of these resources would be seriously muted, and because the private sector response needed to sustain the impact of the additional spending would not emerge.
The Bank’s report was endorsed by the December 2004 AHLC Meeting. In its Summary, the AHLC Chair requested the Bank to work with the parties and donors to translate the report’s recommendations into a set of actionable measures, and to monitor progress towards their implementation; this would then help donors form a judgment on the extent to which the preconditions for economic revival are being put in place. At the London Meeting on March 1, 2005 donors and the PA agreed that the first Bank Economic Monitoring Report should be prepared as an input to the next AHLC Meeting.
Integral to this report is a matrix of Indicators of Economic Revival (Annex 2). These indicators were developed by the Bank with assistance from the European Commission and the United States. They should not be considered a checklist or scorecard, and are not of themselves determinant: they merely help anchor a qualitative analysis of the extent to which the preconditions for robust economic growth are being re-established.

1 – Summary Assessment and Recommendations

I – The Need for Rapid Economic Growth

Sustained economic growth in the West Bank and Gaza is a vital part of the process of political normalization. As the World Bank wrote in December 2004, “While prosperity is no guarantee of tranquility, history teaches that the opposite is true: that destitution, political instability and violence are constant companions1”. Jim Wolfensohn, the Quartet Special Envoy for Disengagement, has continually emphasized the need to create Palestinian economic momentum, and its connection with Israel’s security. In his letter of October 30, 2005 to Prime Minister Sharon and President Abbas, he writes “I believe that we have an opportunity….to see a peaceful period where Palestinians can develop a better life based on tangible and visible prospects and where Israel can be more secure precisely because Palestinians….have greater freedom and hope”2.
Employment, and particularly youth employment, must be the essence of any Palestinian economic revitalization strategy. The Bank in December 2004 calculated that it would take an increase in the real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 10 percent per annum over the 2005-8 period to reduce unemployment to pre-intifada levels of around 12 percent—essentially a doubling of the 2003-4 rate of growth. Achieving this, it was argued, required a combination of four factors: a dramatic reduction in violence against Israelis, the restoration of Palestinian movement and access, Palestinian governance renewal and, on top of these policy preconditions, an increase in donor disbursements of about 50 percent per annum. The Quartet Special Envoy has underlined this same message on several occasions: “successful reconstruction requires four fundamentals—an absence of violence, a rolling back of the restrictions on Palestinian movement, vigorous Palestinian governance reform and increased foreign aid”.

II – Growth in 2005 – Encouraging but Inconclusive

Real GDP is expected to grow by 8-9 percent in 20053. It should be remembered that this is growth from a low base—at the end of 2005, real GDP per capita was still some 29 percent less than in 1999. Nonetheless, unemployment is expected to decline by 4 percentage points this year, from c. 27 to c. 22.5 percent, while nominal personal incomes are expected to rise by about 12 percent4.
This year’s performance reflects four key factors: an expansionary Palestinian Authority (PA) fiscal policy, which has raised public consumption by almost a quarter; solid economic growth in Israel and the demand this has created for Palestinian merchandise exports and Palestinian labor, along with a relaxation of border closures sufficient to permit Palestinians to take advantage of this; a 30 percent increase in credit to the private sector fuelling strong growth in the transport and construction sectors; and a 20 percent increase in donor disbursements. PA fiscal expansion, though, is unsustainable; unless checked, it will lead to functional bankruptcy (i.e. the PA’s inability to meet its monthly salary bill and deliver the most basic services). The drivers of growth also underscore the tight interconnections with the Israeli economy, and thereby the degree of dependence on Israeli closure management.
The Bank’s economic projections (Annex 1) show that such growth will not persist without good Palestinian governance, sound economic management and a continued relaxation of closure by GOI—including the maintenance of current labor 2 The Palestinian Economy and the Prospects for its Recovery flows. The scenarios compare the relative impact of a) an improving policy environment without additional funding (the Recovery, No Additional Aid scenario), and b) stagnant policy with c. US$500 million per annum of extra donor funds (Status Quo, Additional Aid). Neither of these scenarios delivers: good policies alone do result in positive GDP growth of about 5 percent per annum, but unemployment declines by only 2 percent over three years. Money alone is less beneficial: real GDP growth disappears by 2008, and unemployment increases by 3 percent in the coming three years5.
The only satisfactory way forward is to combine good policies by both sides with more money. The Recovery, Additional Aid scenario embodies continued easing of closures and stable labor access with strong Palestinian governance and the re-establishment of fiscal control, accompanied by generous donor assistance. This combination brings rapid growth and a marked decline in unemployment. By 2008, propelled by rising exports6, personal incomes increase by 20 percent7 and unemployment falls by almost a half, to 13 percent of the workforce8.

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