Publication
Omar Shaban Ismail · صحيفة محلية · 2007
A 2007 critical analysis of the Paris Economic Protocol annexed to the Oslo Accords, revealing how this protocol institutionalizes Palestinian economic dependency on the Israeli economy under the guise of "partnership," constituting a form of structured dispossession.
A 2007 critical analysis of the Paris Economic Protocol annexed to the Oslo Accords, revealing how this protocol institutionalizes Palestinian economic…
The Paris Economic Protocol, signed in 1994 as an annex to the Oslo Accords, constitutes the legal framework governing Palestinian-Israeli economic relations. After more than ten years of implementation, the results reveal that this protocol institutionalizes — regardless of its drafters' intentions — a relationship of structural dispossession and dependency, not equitable partnership.
The features that make the Protocol an instrument of annexation rather than partnership: the customs union with Israel forces Palestine to import Israeli inflation and recession without possessing any instrument to influence monetary or trade policy. Israeli control over VAT and clearance revenues keeps Palestinian public finances hostage to Israeli approval. Restrictions on the movement of goods and workers deprive the Palestinian economy of natural integration with its Arab and regional environment.
Calling for a comprehensive review or cancellation of the Protocol is not merely a political position but an objective economic necessity dictated by the requirements of building an independent and competitive Palestinian economy. No genuine Palestinian development strategy can be designed while this framework constrains the fundamental levers of economic sovereignty.
Topic: Palestinian Economy — Paris Economic Protocol · Oslo Accords · Economic Sovereignty · Customs Union · Trade Policy