Prospects and Challenges of Palestinian Logistics System

The purpose of this paper is to shed the light on one of the most important influential factors for the development the Palestinian economy, which is logistics system. The discussion about the Palestinian state and its economy arise after the UN General Assembly voted to grant Palestine a nonmember state. Palestine is considered land-locked country, although it has seashore. Although Palestine has seashore, it is considered land-locked country due to the lack of sovereign logistics infrastructure. International Trade with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt is done through land border crossings. Palestinian international trade to European, Asian, and American countries is currently done through Israeli airports and seaports. Almost 99% of the Palestinian imports are through land. Israeli policies and procedures incur Palestinian exports additional transportation costs when delivering their products to Israeli ports and Airport and even when transit these cargos to neighboring countries through Israeli controlled areas. Therefore, without direct access to international markets, the Palestinian economy will not be able to compete in international markets, and will continue its dependence on the Israeli economy. Considering that the current situation will continue, alternative routes for international trade to avoid using the Israeli ports are Aqaba Port in Jordan and Port Said in Egypt. In the long term, having a seaport and Airport in Gaza, Airport in the West Bank, and constructing the Corridor connecting Gaza and the West Bank, is the only solution capable for independently integrating the Palestinian economy with the region and other countries in the world, and therefore creating competitive advantage for the Palestinian exports.