By SPA,
Abu Dhabi : Middle East envoy Tony Blair urged investors on Tuesday to plough money into the Palestinian economy, which he said offered opportunities despite Israeli occupation and restrictions on movement.
The Palestinian government and the private sector will host a three-day conference in Bethlehem from May 21 offering more than $1 billion worth of projects to foreign investors.
The conference, part of efforts to boost the Palestinian economy as Palestinians take part in U.S.-backed peace talks with Israel, follows a donor conference that in December attracted $7.7 billion in aid pledges over the next three years.
In Abu Dhabi to support the meeting, the former British prime minister said he was working to get restrictions on movement that have squeezed the Palestinian economy, removed.
“The title of the conference is: you can do business in Palestine… It is true that the weight of the occupation is very heavy. It is true also that… we hope we can in the coming months start lifting the restrictions on access,” Blair said.
“It is true that all these political challenges make a difference to the Palestinian economy. It is also true therefore that if these challenges are met the possibilities are even greater… In Palestine today in the West Bank there are real opportunities for business.”