Al-Ahram Weekly | Egypt | Talking shop?

The World Economic Forum on the Middle East took place earlier this week in Sharm El-Sheikh. A state-of-the-art convention centre, hurriedly constructed in eight months to the surprise of everyone, hosted the event. If anything, the forum proved that Egypt could do anything it puts its mind to, report Sherine Bahaa and Niveen Wahish from Egypt's top Red Sea resort

Talking shop?

Palestinians and Israelis did manage to talk at the WEF in Sharm El-Sheikh, but nothing of real value emerged

It was the first high ranking official meeting between Palestinians and Israelis in almost a year. The WEF said in a press release that the last meeting between Palestinian and Israeli officials was in June 2005 when Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres met with the then Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei on the sidelines of that year's WEF meeting in Jordan.

The Palestinian invitation to the first of the forum's Middle East conferences to be hosted by Egypt went to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen, who is at loggerheads with the Hamas-led government.

The Islamist movement Hamas, which was excluded from the WEF, has been seeking Arab and Muslim financial support after Washington and the European Union froze their aid to the Palestinians.

Participants were sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi appealed to participants not to punish the Palestinians "simply because they elected a government of their choice."

"This is the toughest time in the history of the Palestinian people. We have to respect their choice. The people should not be made to suffer," he said in a voice choking with emotion.
Shimon Peres Deputy Prime Minister, and Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni, US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, Arab league Secretary General Amr Moussa all met to discuss regional issues.

Before convening the meetings, Israelis confirmed that talks would focus mainly on the economy, "we will not talk about borders but economic matters for which there is no reason to leave hanging," said Peres, who is responsible for economic ties with the Palestinians.

But Palestinians are suffering under dire economic circumstances, and their main target at this time is how to surmount the economic siege. "My mission is now how to find a way out of this human catastrophe," explained Abu Mazen.

Palestinian employees have not been paid for three months, health services are deeply affected, Fatah - Hamas infighting is getting worse. There is even talk of a civil war.

"Abu Mazen cannot talk businessbusiness is not our problem today," said Palestinian businessman Monieb Al-Masri to Al-Ahram Weekly.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat described the meeting between Abbas and Livni as "positive, which could open the way to a series of future meetings between Abbas and senior Israeli officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert". Olmert is currently visiting the UnitedStates.

Apart from words of compliments the Abbas-Livni meeting, Palestinian and Israeli participants remained at locked horns.

Palestinian participants accused Israel of refusing to accept the results of free and fair Palestinian elections.

Both Livni and Peres were adamant on stating that Israel would stick to its policy of unilateral "disengagement" as long as Hamas remains in government.

Israeli officials including Livni and Peres ran out of patience when participantsPalestinian, Arab, Arab Americanwere severely critical of Israeli policies towards the Palestinians.

"The advent of a new Palestinian government has created alarm, but it is good that they are keeping the truce for more than a year, it is great they did not include a statement about the destruction of Israel in their platform for the elections," said the UN special coordinator for the peace process.

One participant asked Livni "why do not you give the Hamas movement the benefit of the doubt?" This infuriated the Israeli foreign minister, prompting her to respond angrily: "there is no doubt, I just read their charter and it calls for the destruction of Israel. These requirements are not negotiable." Hamas charter did not include any mention of the destruction of Israel it was a rightful call for libertation,

Another participant asked Livni if Israel was blocking Hamas because it refuses to recognise Israel. "But when are you going to recognise a Palestinian state?"

The Palestinian private sector used the WEF meeting to present an initiative in conjunction with civil society, reinforced by a parallel initiative by Palestinian political prisoners in Israel jails, based on three main points. First, giving President Abbas the full responsibility to deal with the peace process as head of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) recognised by more than 155 states. The initiative, thus, leaves the domestic scene for Hamas through its majority in the legislative council. Second, establishing a national coalition government on the principle of national unity. Third, working to reform the PLO so that it is inclusive of all factions.

Al-Masri, chairman of the Palestine Company for Investment and who presented the initiative, told the Weekly that Hamas's position towards it was positive.

Al-Masri believes that by adopting this initiative the private sector in Palestine could assume a better position as a partner in both politics and economy. "The Palestinian problem is 99 per cent political, and so in this initiative we are trying to save our country from civil war. We cannot accept unilateralism. The West used to depict us as barbarians to be expelled from their lands. We will let not this happen again," Al-Masri said .