Result through resolve
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by Riad Al-Khouri June 13, 2013

written by Riad Al-Khouri June 13, 2013

Away from the geostrategic dramas playing out in the Middle East these days, some Arab-Israelis are seeing quiet progress. The community’s latest success came in late April when Nazareth, Israel’s largest Arab city, opened its first industrial park. Set up by Israeli billionaire Stef Wertheimer — who has built several such projects elsewhere — and with help from the Nazareth municipality, the $22 million park was 12 years in the making because of “bureaucratic difficulties” — deliberate delays by Israeli officials to frustrate the country’s Arab community. Now completed, it aims to host 25 export-oriented companies that could provide 1,000 jobs within a decade. That goal looks attainable. Three companies already operate in the park: an international telecom firm employing 100 workers; a project founded by a Nazareth couple that manufactures neurosurgery and neurology products; and another Arab-owned facility that provides outsourcing solutions for light manufacturing. Job creation is a

Riad Al-Khouri

Riad al Khouri is an economist specializing in the Middle East and North Africa region. He has undertaken extensive research on regional trade and political economy, among other topics, and writes widely about development issues. He taught economics at the American University in Beirut (AUB) and Beirut University College (now the Lebanese American University) and worked as a consultant for the European Commission, ESCWA, GTZ, ILO, IOM, OPEC Fund, UNDP, UNIDO, USAID, and the World Bank, among many other public sector organizations, as well as for numerous private firms.

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Result through resolve
EN AR