A serious investment in the Palestinian economy could push forward the peace process, Israeli President Shimon Peres agreed with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday, local daily Ha'aretz reported.
Peres showed Merkel his "peace valley" plan which includes a German-funded industrial zone in Jenin, and Merkel pledged 10million euros (about 6.37 million U.S. dollars ) of German donation to fund the project.
"Peace valley" plan refers to an economic project Peres has championed in the Dead Sea area which is intended to increase regional stability and cooperation.
"Only the improvement of the quality of life, education and infrastructure can push peace forward, as opposed to the supply of guns or donations which only exacerbates the corruption in the Palestinian Authority (PA)," Peres was quoted by Ha'aretz assaying.
Merkel thanked Peres for giving her a personal tour of the SdeBoker kibbutz in the heart of the Negev desert in the south of the country, and said that she was excited about sitting with her ministers in a joint meeting with the Israeli government officials on Monday, according to Ha'aretz.
She said that Germany is interested in taking an active part in the economic cooperation between Israel, Jordan and the Palestinians, adding that she intends to personally supervise the establishment of the industrial zone in Jenin.
Source: Xinhua
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