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| By: Israel Insider staff and partners |
| Published: April 19, 2005 |
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Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres sought to plot out the economic fortunes of the Middle East after Israel pulls out of the Gaza Strip this summer, proposing Monday regional economic cooperation that could include a tourist resort in Palestinian areas for terrorists who need rest and recuperation after their hard labors. "We could convert a settlement into a Club Med," he said.
There are unconfirmed reports that this could be a collaborative effort with the casino planned for Gush Katif by Ariel Sharon's adviser, Dov Weissglas. "Our fighters need rest and recuperation after their hard labors," one Palestinian official said." If they can relax in the sauna and do aerobics, perhaps they'll be less inclined to carry out martyrdom operations."
"We must not wait for the political solution but create economic and social hope" in the region, Peres said at the end of a 45-minute meeting with French President Jacques Chirac in Paris. "We must help all the countries construct an economic democracy," Peres said, referring to Gaza, Jordan and Israel. "We must coordinate on the economic front," he added.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday that government ministers would consider pushing back the withdrawal from late July to mid-August as a result of the mourning period before Tisha B'Av, commemorating the destruction of the two Jewish Temples.
Peres insisted earlier Monday that the likely 3-week postponement in the planned pullout from the Gaza Strip is "not a political delay" but merely to avoid the Tisha B'Av mourning period. Speaking on France-2 television, Peres said that the pullout could be "a little delayed as a result of the religious issue."
Peres did not say when the Club Med might open.
The AP contributed to this report. |
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