Narrow Results

This paper examines the nature of the relationship between entrepreneurship and economic growth in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories that occurred post Oslo Agreement. The paper has two main objectives: first, to examine with empirical evidence the impact of entrepreneurship on economic growth; second, to explore the effect of two control variables on the relationship — checkpoints and international aid — which are unique to this particular study. Using data spanning over a course of sixteen years, various statistical methods were applied to explain the effect of variant levels of entrepreneurial activity on GDP and unemployment. The results show that contrary to a reservoir of research, entrepreneurship appeared to have no significant impact on economic growth. This can be explained by the fact entrepreneurial activity is expected to decrease as a result of growth in the economy as new jobs are created.

For centuries, Palestinian lands were part of the Ottoman Empire. With the defeat of the Ottomans during World War I, the British occupied this region. The Principal Allied Powers subsequently gave the British full powers of legislation and of administration over Mandatory Palestine to create a national home for the Jewish people. In 1922, the land in question was divided. The eastern part, most of British Mandatory Palestine, was made into a new country, Jordan. In 1923, the United Kingdom ceded the Golan Heights to the French mandate. War broke out in 1947, leading to the occupation of Gaza by Egypt. In 1950, Abdullah annexed the portion of Palestine called the West Bank. In 1967, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank came under Israeli occupation. In 1993, the Oslo Accord with Israel gave Palestinians rule over the Gaza Strip and in Jericho, on the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority became the administrative body empowered to govern the Palestinian population and began its administration in May 1994. This chapter is about Palestinian territories, recognised by some countries as the State of Palestine.

This chapter is a highly abridged version of the EcoPeace Proposal for a water agreement between Israel and Palestine. It presents the design for an agreement between Israelis and Palestinians to share water in a physically realistic, ecologically sustainable, and socially equitable manner. Existing arrangements are, at best, inadequate and, in some cases, counterproductive. The proposal relies upon ongoing monitoring and mediation to achieve equitable and sustainable use at the most local level possible. The proposal also argues that an agreement on water can be reached now, before resolving the full range of issues required in a Final Status Agreement between Israel and Palestine.