Sir, - Ehud Barak was the clear winner in Israel's election. His victory has been welcomed by Palestinian leaders who consider him to be more of a peacemaker than Benjamin Netanyahu. In order to advance in the peace process Mr Barak must now confront the challenges of what has been the reality of the Oslo Accord for ordinary Palestinians.
Important achievements have been made through the Oslo process: political dialogue between the two sides, a dismantling of the terrorist arm of the PLO (the PLA), and the establishment of a Palestinian national authority.
However, since 1993 when the Declaration of Principles was signed, the majority of Palestinians have experienced a serious deterioration in living standards, in terms of income, employment, ownership of property and land, higher education and, perhaps above all, freedom of movement within and between West Bank/Gaza and Israel. The Palestinian economy, according to UNSCO and World Bank figures has seen a 35 per cent decline in GNP per capita, record unemployment levels and a struggling import/export trade.
One major underlying cause for this is the restriction that has been placed on the freedom of movement of Palestinians both within and between the West bank/Gaza and Israel. By dividing up the West Bank/Gaza Strip (in accordance with Oslo) into various "areas" with differing political, security and administrative status the number of borders have dramatically increased. More borders have meant more controls and more closures between all the different "parts".
The impact this has had on the economy has been particularly drastic. With the economy of Palestine still largely dependent on the Israeli economy (casual labour) it is inevitable that when all or parts of the borders of West Bank or Gaza are closed off, the effects on employment and trade are huge. Between 1993 and 1997 290 working days were disrupted, amounting to a full 21 per cent of working days. Import and export dependent industry has suffered tremendously from the long-term effects of border closure.
Mr Barak's new government must relax border controls and closures, to bring an end to the collective punishment inflicted on the Palestinian community. - Yours, etc., Declan Jones,
Chief Executive, World Vision Ireland, Donnybrook, Dublin 4.