Regional Cooperation and Development

News:

List of publications under Regional Cooperation and Development:

Turkish-Israeli Relations in Crisis: How to Cut the Gordian Knot?
By Prof. Gencer Oezcan
May 2011

Turkey as a Regional Player
By Dr. Alon Liel
May 2011

Economic Overview of Turkey
By Dr. Roby Nathanson and Gilad Brand
May 2011

Europe confronting the degradation of Turkish-Israeli relations: is there room for arbitration?
By Dorothee Schmid
May 2011

The EU and the Arab Peace Initiative: Promoting a regional approach
By Eduard Soler di Lecha
July 2010

The Arab Peace Initiative: Its significance and implications
By Dr. Matti Steinberg
July 2010

The Arab Peace Initiative - Positions of Key Arab States and Non-State Actors
By Dr. Amr Hamzawy and Andrew Clark
July 2010

Historical Political and economic impact of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories
By Shaul Arieli, Roby Nathanson, Ziv Rubin, Hagar Tzameret-Kertcher
July 2009

The Israeli settlement movement in the territory of the West Bank is the result of political, social and religious conceptions of Israeli governments and political and social movements. The Six-Day War, in which Israel captured the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, opened the way for the construction of settlements in these areas.
This paper tries to define the historical path in which the settlements were created and constructed. In addition there is an analysis of the total value of the buildings and infrastructure constructed in the settlements, their budgets and demographic characteristics.

Tel Aviv: The Friedrich Ebert Foundation, The Macro Center for Political Economics, The Center for International Communications and Policy in Bar-Ilan University and Munchen University.

The Settlements from a European Perspective
By Esra Bulut
June 2009

This paper outlines the challenges presented to the EU and its member-states by the settlements, focusing on collective EU policy and issues pertaining to settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. It delineates a number of challenges, relating to European interests, linkages, declaratory diplomacy and other policy instruments, before suggesting ways forward.
Dr Esra Bulut is a Research Fellow at the EU Institute for Security Studies.

Paris: The Friedrich Ebert Foundation, The Macro Center for Political Economics, The Center for International Communications and Policy in Bar-Ilan University and Munchen University.

The Impact of Operation Cast Lead on Israel – EU Relations
By Oded Eran
April 2009

The paper discusses the EU - Israeli relations after the Gaza War, from the Israeli perspective.
Dr.Oded Eran is the former Ambassador of Israel to the EU and currently director of the Institute of National Security studies at Tel Aviv University, Israel.

Tel Aviv: The Friedrich Ebert Foundation, The Macro Center for Political Economics, The Center for International Communications and Policy in Bar-Ilan University and Munchen University.

New Challenges for EU-Israel Relations after the Gaza War
By Claire Spencer
April 2009

The paper discusses the EU - Israeli relations after the Gaza War, from the European perspective.
Dr. Claire Spencer is the head of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House: The Royal Institute of International Affairs, London.

London: The Friedrich Ebert Foundation, The Macro Center for Political Economics, The Center for International Communications and Policy in Bar-Ilan University and Munchen University.

Renewing the Middle East: Climate changes in security and energy and the new challenges for EU-Israel relations.
By By Gonzalo Escribano, Eli Goldstein, Noam Segal, Shlomo Shpiro, Eva Gross, Thomas A. Teichler, Limor Nobel, Isabel Schafer, Daniela Huber, Stephan Stetter, Nellie Munin, Roby Nathanson and Moshe Blidstein. Edited by: Roby Nathanson and Stephan Stetter
November 2008

This volume discusses various aspects of the relations of Israel and the European Union in light of global changes and regional events. The book is comprised of articles relating to the challenges confronting Israel and the EU in various fields, and to the possibilities of cooperation between them. It focuses on three subjects: environmental and energy issues and their implications for EU-Israel relations, the military and cultural aspects of these relations, and the future trajectory of relations as according to the developments of the past year. This book is published as part of a series of publications by the Israeli European Policy Network, which discuss developments in the relations between Israel and the EU in the past years and the agreements between them.

Tel Aviv - Brussels: The Friedrich Ebert Foundation, The Macro Center for Political Economics, The Center for International Communications and Policy in Bar-Ilan University and Munchen University.

The Middle East Under Fire? EU-Israel Relations in a Region Between War and Conflict Resolution
By Roby Nathanson and Stephan Stetter (Eds.)
May 2007

Tel Aviv - Berlin: The Friedrich Ebert Foundation, The Macro Center for Political Economics, The Center for International Communications and Policy in Bar-Ilan University and the Institute for World Society Studies in Bielefeld University.

The Israeli European Policy Network – The Monitor of the EU-Israel Action plan
By Roby Nathanson and Stephan Stetter (Eds.)
June 2006

Tel Aviv - Vienna: The Friedrich Ebert Foundation, The Israeli Institute for Economic and Social Research, The Institute for World Society Studies in Bielefeld University, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

A Comprehensive Identification and Economic Validation of Real Estate Holdings of the Jewish Settlements in the West Bank
December 2005

The current report’s objective was to estimate the value of real estate holdings in the West Bank.
In order to complete this mission, we were required to examine the built-up areas in the West Bank. Deliberations on the appropriate way to conduct such a comprehensive and detailed a study raised two basic issues demanding resolution: first, the sources of the data and second, calculation of the property’s value.
Sources of information: Within Israel, the subject of the Occupied Territories continues to be highly conflictual. Government collection of information on the subject of the West Bank and Gaza is sporadic; relevant information is therefore difficult to locate, retrieve, and present. Israel takes advantage of the fact that the territories are not under official Israeli sovereignty, a fact that releases the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) from any responsibility for collection of data in these areas. Nor are the Territories under the authority of any specific government ministries - we were consistently referred to the Civil Administration, the agency that holds the data. Yet, the Civil Administration does not abide by dictates of transparency and refuses to cooperate with civilian entities. The situation is such that Adv. Talia Sasson, Prime Minister Sharon’s representative, wrote the following in her report on the unauthorized outposts:
“Difficulties in accessibility to information regarding the establishment of the unauthorized outposts: The relevant information regarding the unauthorized outposts is not to be found in a single ministry. On the contrary, every ministry that supplied me with information holds only partial information regarding the outposts. There is no authority or body which gathers all of the relevant information concerning the matter of outposts, nor coordinates government activity regarding them.
Part of the information is accessible, but a major part of it is concealed. Even after inquiring and exploring, I cannot say that I have reached all the necessary information. This is sometimes due to bureaucratic complexity, the scope of the information, the number of authorities and offices involved in the matter, and the time that has passed. But in more than a number of occasions I was under the impression that the office or official in charge of the relevant information was not willing to disclose it. I received some of this information from other sources. The result is that I could not arrive at all the required information. Furthermore, some of the people I approached refused to converse with me. Some claimed to be too busy, some met with me but refused to give answers to the point to most of my questions.”
We have cited Adv. Sasson’s report rather extensively in order to shed light on the obstacles placed before anyone interested in examining the issue. When we realized that official doors were closed to sources of information, we chose an alternative but equally valuable approach for accessing the relevant data: up-to-date aerial photographs. These aerial photographs were supplemented by data obtained from the CBS and the Internet sites now available to all. Thus, all the information obtained from the aerial photographs of the settlements was juxtaposed with public sources made available by the CBS (for details on methodology employed, see Chapter 3).

Calculation of value: Calculation of value is another controversial issue, cardinal to any attempt to reach a mutually agreed-upon solution. Therefore, we believe it important to explain the principles guiding our decisions on the subject. It would be inappropriate to estimate the value of land in the West Bank in strict market terms. First, land value is the crucial determinant for assessment of the market value of real estate yet, in this case, land value per se is irrelevant because of political issues.
Furthermore, infrastructures cannot be evaluated by market value, as they are usually considered public property and therefore lack a proper market. The obvious alternative is to estimate the value of buildings and infrastructure constructed in the West Bank in terms of cost (for a description of the method used to calculate cost, see Chapter 3). We should note that the compensation formula of the Disengagement Plan Implementation Law includes numbers which are very similar to our calculation values, regarding the value of a square meter of dwellings and commercial institutes (see appendix II: Disengagement Plan Implementation Law (2005): Summary).
The value of state expenditures in the territories was not considered. Such expenditures include the cost of government services such as education, welfare, tax deductions and the alternative costs of investment in other areas within the borders of The value of state expenditures in the territories was not considered. Such expenditures include the cost of government services such as education, welfare, tax deductions and the alternative costs of investment in other areas within the borders of Israel.

Structure of the report: In the second chapter we present a survey of the demographic structure of the settlements in the West Bank as constructed from CBS data, and in chapter 3 we describe the methodology employed and the method for determining costs, including the results of our calculations. Chapter 4 presents the costs estimated for each individual settlement, including separate tables for each settlement as well as aerial photographs of the settlements.

Summary of the research findings: The value of the buildings constructed in the West Bank, in current values effective June 2005 and based on calculations of cost only, equals about US$14 billion. This figure covers the cost of residential, industrial, commercial and public construction, roads, water, sewage pipes and irrigation channels.

The Israeli European Policy Network - Reader
By Roby Nathanson and Stephan Stetter (Eds.)
November 2005

Tel Aviv: The Friedrich Ebert Foundation, The Israeli Institute for Economic and Social Research and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Toward an Agenda for Labour Market Regional Co-operation: Lessons from the Trirhena Experience for the Challenges of the Middle East
By Dr. Roby Nathanson, Ruty Livnat Young, Sarit Cohen
June 1998

Tel Aviv: The Israeli Institute for Economic and Social Research

An Agenda for Employment and Labour Mobility in Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority
By Dr. Roby Nathanson
May 1997

Tel-Aviv: The Israeli Institute for Economic and Social Research

The Potential for Trade between Egypt, Jordan and Israel ( English )
By Dr. Roby Nathanson
December 1996

Tel-Aviv: The Israeli Institute for Economic and Social Research

The Water Economics in the Middle East Main Problems and Possible Solutions
By Dr. Chemi Gotlibovski
November 1996

Tel Aviv: The Israeli Institute for Economic and Social Research

A Palestinian National Social Security System Implications for Wage Earners in the Local and Israel Market Assuming Open Borders ( English )
By Prof. Gideon Fishelson, Dr. Samir Hazboun, Dr. Roby Nathanson and Ziva Almog
May 1995

Tel-Aviv: The Institute for Economic and Social Research, DATA Studies and Consultation and The Friefdrich Ebert Foundation

The Labour Market in the Territories ( English )
By Amin Farris, Prof. Gideon Fishelson, Dr. Raymond Jubran and Dr. Roby Nathanson
April 1993

Tel-Aviv: Histadrut-General Federation of Labour in Israel Institute for Economic and Social Research and The Friedrich Ebert Foundation

Labour Force and Employment in Egypt, Syria and Jordan ( English )
By Dr. Gil Feiler, Prof. Gideon Fishelson and Dr. Roby Nathanson
April 1993

Tel-Aviv: Histadrut-General Federation of Labour in Israel Institute for Economic and Social Research and The Friedrich Ebert Foundation

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