(Communicated by COGAT - Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories)

An import and export course for Palestinian established businessmen was held over the last month, funded and coordinated by the Civil Administration. The course consisted of eight meetings at the Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute in Tel Aviv. Twenty established Palestinian businessmen participated in the course, as well as tourism companies, moving companies, business realtors and more. The participants came from cities throughout the West Bank, including Ramallah, Bethlehem, Nablus and Hebron.

During the eight course meetings, the participants were taught such subjects as export marketing strategies, choosing markets for export, international market trends, establishing trading partnerships in the international market and more. They also had a workshop on product display and organizing business conferences.

The head of the Civil Administration, Brig. Gen. David Menachem attended the last meeting and said: "Despite a number of recent difficult incidents, the economy of the West Bank has been stable, and we will do everything in our power to improve and develop the local economy. We understand that a stable economy enables a stable security situation and leads to peace."

Participant feedback on the course also reflects this message. Muhmad Kader, a Ramallah resident said: "The course was very informative and professional, and was essential and relevant to Palestinian exports. It is in the interests of both Palestinians and Israelis to establish an economic partnership for foreign exports, and to learn from each other."

Palestinian exports represent a major factor in the local economy. Over the first half of 2014, there was an increase of 90% in Palestinian exports from the West Bank in comparison to the first half of 2013. This is reflected in the 2% decrease in Palestinian unemployment in the first half this year in comparison with the same period the previous year.