World Bank Urges For Reform Of Dual Use Goods System To Boost Palestinian Economy

Sumaira FH Published April 17, 2019 | 05:24 PM

The World Bank on Wednesday called for a reform of the Israeli control over transfer of dual use goods, which may be used for military and civilian purposes, in order to help Palestinian economy

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th April, 2019) The World Bank on Wednesday called for a reform of the Israeli control over transfer of dual use goods, which may be used for military and civilian purposes, in order to help Palestinian economy.

Israel imposes restrictions on transfer of dual use goods to the West Bank and Gaza, citing security concerns.

"A new World Bank report highlights the stalling of the Palestinian economy and calls for a review of the Israeli application of the dual use goods system. The report indicates that the economy, which in 2018 saw no real growth, is now facing a severe fiscal shock because of the standoff over clearance revenue transfers, while dual use goods restrictions have for over a decade hampered the ability of legitimate businesses to generate enough jobs for the growing population," the organization said in a press release.

The economic monitoring report pointed to broad descriptions of some of the categories, which created additional obstacles.

"For example, the dual use list includes a category entitled 'communications equipment, communications supporting equipment, equipment containing communication functions'. The broad and vague nature of the definition means that it affects access to most civilian machinery, equipment spare parts, most medical equipment, and most home appliances. The list also includes a number of chemicals that can be found in everyday products, such as nitric acid in toothpaste, which could potentially limit access to these products as well," the report read.

The report remarked on a difficult procedure for obtaining a permission for access to dual use goods.

The report stressed that this dual use restrictions made it difficult for Gaza, in particular, to provide services and public infrastructure. Such facilities as "wastewater treatment plants, sea water desalination facilities, or other utility-scale infrastructure" were extremely expensive as a result of the policy.