Palestinian Capacity Building Needs in Trade Policy and Trade Facilitation

The main objective of this study is to assess the Palestinian capacity development needs in trade policy formulation and trade facilitation. Thus, the study concentrates on the administrative and procedure and trade restrictive to reduce the cost of trading between WBGS and abroad. While most of trade marketing infrastructures in the WBGS do not exist, they have been viewed by private sector: costly and unobtainable on time. Yet, most of trade facilitation services utilized in processing Palestinian trade are rented from the Israeli side. However, merchandise trade flows between the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the neighboring, regional and international markets will remain subject to the Israeli economic and security interests unless the Palestinian side acquires its own institutional and physical trade infrastructures that complement with trade facilitation services. Therefore, the end of the Israeli Military Occupation should be treated as a necessary condition if any trade promotion program is to have any meaning.