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Successful Workshop of the “Palestinian Federation of Industries” on the Reconstruction of Gaza

Great interest and good ideas were found at the workshop of the Palestinian Federation of Industries (PFI) on the “Revival of the Palestinian Industrial Sector in Gaza in the aftermath of the War” which was held on the 26th March 2009 in Ramallah and promoted by the KAS Ramallah.

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More than 80 representatives of Palestinian government, media, private sector and donor community gathered to hear the presentation of the “Industrial Damage Assessment Report”, an elaborated study conducted through the PFI and supported by KAS on the destructions following the war in Gaza at the beginning of this year. Also discussed were ideas of how to rebuild the private industrial sector in Gaza. According to the study about 20% of existing capacities of certain industrial sectors have been destroyed.

The resident representative of the KAS Ramallah Thomas Birringer expressed his hope about the positive influence the study will have in reconstructing the economy in Gaza. He also emphasized its importance to be a starting point from which more development could be sparked. Where politics cannot advance, the private sector probably can.

Bassem Khoury, the chairman of PFI, urged the political unity of the Palestinians, which in his view is an essential precondition for a successful reconstruction of the economy in Gaza. He also stressed the impulses for the economy of the whole region, which would benefit from a revitalization of the Gaza industrial sector. In the following discussion many ideas and problems were raised by the audience on how to proceed with the reconstruction. The result of the talks will be included into the recommendation by PFI and will be handed to the Palestinian Authority together with the study mentioned above.

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