It's nice to see data support what you believed to be true.
The Business Insider has an article today on a new study published by Rand Corporation detailing the growth of business activity that would be spurred by the successful completion of a two state solution between Israel and Palestine.
...over the next decade, Israel’s economy would get a boost of over $120 billion while the Palestinian economy would gain $50 billion if only the two sides agreed to end the ongoing standoff. The study examines five alternative outlooks -- a two-state solution, a coordinated unilateral withdrawal, an uncoordinated unilateral withdrawal, nonviolent resistance as well as a violent uprising -- and evaluates them against the costs of a continuing impasse.
“A two-state solution produces by far the best economic outcomes for both Israelis and Palestinians,” Charles Ries, the study’s co-author and a vice president at RAND Corp, said in a press release. “In a decade, the average Israeli would see his or her income rise by about $2,200, vs. a $1,000 gain for Palestinians, compared with our projection for present trends,” translating to a 5 percent jump in income for Israelis and a 36 percent spike for Palestinians.
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The researchers also predicted that if hostilities continued between Israel and Palestine, there would be heavy economic consequences -- with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip suffering a 46 percent plunge in gross domestic product while Israel would see its GDP drop by 10 percent.
If current trends are taken into account, according to the report, Israel stands to lose $80 billion (and Palestine $12 billion) in the non-violent resistance scenario -- which some experts believe is already unfolding with Palestine acting to exert international pressure on the Israelis. But, compared to the benefits of a two-state solution, losses from the non-violent resistance scenario are considerably higher for both sides -- with Israel potentially losing about $200 billion while the Palestinian economy could lose $60 billion, the report found.
Yet another reason for all to support a two-state solution producing peace and prosperity for both countries and their peoples.