RAND Corporation, a US-based nonprofit research organization, has issued the most comprehensive recommendations ever made for the success of an independent Palestinian state. The study estimates the total costs of establishing a viable Palestinian state at US$33 billion.
RAND's proposals, including a landmark rail, highway and infrastructure link between the West Bank and Gaza that would open the door to "dramatic" new development in Palestine, would give Palestinians new access to jobs, food, water, education, health care, housing and public services, the study has indicated.
A report produced under the oversight of RAND Health titled “Building a Successful Palestinian State” describes many of the proposals. A companion volume by the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy titled “The Arc: A Formal Structure for a Palestinian State” proposes a new corridor from the northern West Bank to Gaza that would help achieve the goals of the first report, enabling Palestinians to build a more prosperous future and cope with rapid population growth.
The corridor - dubbed the Arc - would support a high-speed 140-mile interurban rail line, highway, aqueduct, energy network and fiber optic cable linking Palestine's major towns and cities. This would act as a catalyst to generate housing, jobs and business development. Construction of the Arc would create an estimated 100,000 to 160,000 jobs for Palestinians over five years, on top of thousands more jobs in new businesses built along the corridor. It would also foster revitalization of historic city centers and preserve forests, nature reserves and agricultural land.
“Creating a state of Palestine does not ensure its success,” according to the first report. “But for Palestinians, Israelis and many around the world, it is profoundly important that the state succeed.” A failed Palestinian state, or one so weak that it must be sustained and policed by others, would endanger international security, the report says.
“These studies spell out practical steps that can help make the goal of a Palestinian state living in peace and prosperity alongside Israel a reality,” RAND President and CEO James A. Thomson said. “We hope RAND's two years of rigorous and objective problem-solving research will point the way to a better future for the people of the region,” said RAND Executive Vice President Michael Rich.
Recommendations in the reports could be implemented for approximately $33 billion in capital investment in the first 10 years of a new state. This represents an annual average of about $760 per person. An estimated $6 billion of the investment would be used to build the core rail and road infrastructure of the Arc. Billions of dollars would need to come from international assistance and investment, combined with Palestinian spending and private investment.
