Asfour: The Situation in Palestine Requires All of Us to Make Maximum Efforts to Strengthen Resilience on Our Homeland

SadaNews - The Ministry of Industry, in cooperation with the "Export" program funded by the British Consulate in Jerusalem, organized a specialized workshop titled "Import Substitution for Import-Intensive Goods," based on an analysis of trade data related to consumption, imports, and local production.

The workshop was opened by Minister of Industry Arafat Asfour, in the presence of National Economy Minister Muhammad Al-Amour, Secretary of the Private Sector Coordination Council Ibrahim Barham, as well as company and factory owners.

Asfour emphasized that one cannot talk about our industrial reality without addressing the harsh conditions faced by our people, whether in the Gaza Strip, which suffers from systematic starvation policies and catastrophic humanitarian conditions threatening the essentials of life, or in the West Bank, where the economic crisis is reflected across all sectors.

Asfour stated that the Ministry of Industry acknowledges the magnitude of the challenges, and this necessitates that we all make maximum efforts to strengthen the resilience of citizens on their land, which fundamentally requires advancing the national economy and opening new horizons for investment and production.

He added that a technical analysis study of the import structure in Palestine has shown a significant opportunity for substituting a wide range of imports by encouraging the local production of essential goods. Therefore, the government, through the Ministry of Industry, is committed to providing a stimulating environment for investment in these priority sectors.

For his part, Minister of Economy Muhammad Al-Amour stated that substituting import-intensive goods is not just an economic goal; it is a strategic national choice that enhances our resilience, provides job opportunities, and reinforces our economic independence. We are today facing a real opportunity to direct our investments toward promising productive sectors and to encourage national industry to meet local market needs with high quality and competitiveness.

This workshop is part of the efforts of the Ministry of Industry and the "Export" program to enhance partnerships between the public and private sectors, considering industrial development as a fundamental pillar for advancing the national economy by promoting investment in national products and developing local alternatives for high-consumption imported goods, where investment opportunities and expected economic returns from this direction were presented. The necessary interventions from the government and international partners to support the process of developing and producing these products locally were also discussed.

Estimates suggest the possibility of substituting imports worth about $715 million, with a projected reduction in the trade deficit by around 3.6%, and providing more than 3,100 new job opportunities. Additionally, this direction is expected to contribute to enhancing the economic integration of women, youth, persons with disabilities, and residents of marginalized areas, thereby supporting the achievement of comprehensive and sustainable industrial development.