On March 6, 2016, the Israeli-Palestinian Chamber of Commerce held its periodic board meeting. Chairman David Simcha commenced the meeting by introducing the topics to be addressed in the meeting as well as the guest speaker, Knesset member, Avi Dichter. Avi Dichter is a former Minister of Internal Security and Head of Shabak (Israeli Security Agency). In his address to the attendees of the Board Meeting, Dichter discussed the magnitude of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, contending that the conflict is not so severe compared to other regional issues occurring in the Middle East. He discussed the events of the Arab Spring, which began in December 2010, and their repercussions, explaining how these events marked more complex situations to recover from than the issues that Israelis and Palestinians seek to dissolve.
Following Avi Dichter’s lecture, the Peres Center for Peace presented its results of a research project regarding the moving expenses of Palestinian imports and exports through Israel. Government ministries and economic organizations such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economics, the Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce, and the Manufactures Association, also discussed their recent projects and activities and gave their input on the economic situation between Israelis and Palestinians. The Israeli-Palestinian Chamber of Commerce CEO, Baruch Mazor, summarized the activities of the IPCC in 2015, emphasizing the Chamber’s ability to remain a point of contact for anyone seeking to do business with the Palestinians.
When asked about possible propositions for the Chamber, attendees proposed that the IPCC embark on a project to gather and publish statistics pertaining to trade between Israelis and the Palestinian Authority. There was also a proposal of looking into establishing a Free Trade Zone between the Israelis and the Palestinians in the area of Ariel. The IPCC was pleased to receive such suggestions and will look into developing these ideas.
