JERICHO: Minister of Industry and Chairman of Palestinian Industrial Estates and Free Zones Authority, Arafat Asfour, Wednesday received Ibrahim Lafia Head of Cooperation for the European Union in Palestine, along with his accompanying delegation at the headquarters of the Jericho Agro Industrial Park.
The meeting was attended by staff from the Ministry of Industry and the Palestinian Industrial Estates and Free Zones Authority. They were briefed on the developments of the industrial park during a field tour of some of the factories in the industrial park.
Additionally, Minister Asfour held a meeting at the Prosperity and Business Development Center Pal-Pro within the industrial park, where he emphasized that the European Union is the ideal partner for the Palestinian people in light of the difficult political and economic circumstances, especially after the recent Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.
He also appreciated the EU’s role in supporting investment across all sectors and expressed
gratitude for the initiatives from several EU member states to recognize the State of Palestine, underscoring the importance of the EU’s political and economic support in the construction of the Palestinian state.
He briefed the delegation on other industrial estate projects, with project managers presenting updates and developments in their respective industrial parks. The discussion also included the EU’s incentive project for investors in industrial estates.
The EU official Lafia reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to supporting the financial stability of the Palestinian government amid the withholding of Palestinian clearance funds by the Israeli occupation government.
He noted that the EU, along with other partners, is preparing a budget plan to support the Palestinian government through the end of 2026, and stressed the need to find a quick solution for some pending grants in the Jericho and Bethlehem industrial estates, suggesting a review and development of criteria for future grants to investors in coo
peration with the Ministry of Industry and the Palestinian Industrial Estates and Free Zones Authority.
Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA
