Tony Blair in conversation with Sir Ronald Cohen
On 26th May UK Israel Business and the Palestinian British Business Council jointly hosted Middle East Envoy Tony Blair in conversation with Portland Trust Chairman, Sir Ronald Cohen to discuss the importance of the role of economics in creating and maintaining peace and stability.
Held at the Royal Institution of Great Britain, the event was attended by more than 300 leading business people from the UK, Israel, Palestine and beyond, including chief executives of FTSE 100 companies, pioneering entrepreneurs and champions of private enterprise.
Both Sir Ronald and Tony Blair emphasised how mutual economic development is a vital precursor to and mechanism for peace. ‘Peace must be based on supporting the process of state building from the bottom up.’ This not only boosts standards of living, but supports political moderates and counters ideological extremism. ‘There is an important role for business,’ stated Mr Blair. ‘The private sector on both sides is trying to work together even if politicians sometimes are not.’
Discussing the next steps for all parties, he went on to stress; "We must redouble our efforts, bearing in mind that these last few years have taught us that state-building does work and makes a real difference. We refuse to give up hope on this."
During the dialog, Sir Ronald also highlighted the comparable size and population of the Palestinian Territories to Lebanon with its vastly superior economic output. The possibilities for future growth and business in the Palestinian Territory are therefore enormous. For too long, he noted, “economics has been used as a weapon,” instead, it is vital that a “shift in the role of economics towards being a means of peace” takes place.
