success story

July 25, 2008

‎“The years following the onset of the Palestinian uprising in 2000 proved difficult for the ‎Palestinian stone and marble industry," said Abdel Samad Al Atrash, businessman and ‎member of the Palestinian Stone and Marble Association. The stone and marble industry ‎contributes approximately 5.5 percent to GDP and employs 15,000 workers. Annual sales ‎of stone and marble plunged from USD 450 million prior to 2000 to USD 220 million in ‎‎2004. This drop in sales came about in part as a result of the Hebron roadblock that ‎restricted access to the main gate of Hebron's industrial district: this hindered exports to ‎the Israeli and international markets, which represent roughly 70 percent of production of ‎stone and marble and 60 percent of production by all Hebron-based factories. Instead, ‎heavily loaded cargo trucks were compelled to take a long detour through the narrow, ‎winding, and highly populated streets of Hebron city in order to reach their intended ‎market.‎

Hearing the voices of the Hebron business community, the USAID-funded Palestinian ‎Integrated Trade Arrangement Project initiated efforts to raise awareness among the ‎international community about the economic and social importance of removing the ‎Hebron roadblock. In March 2007, the project set up site visits and meetings between ‎local businesses, the U.S. Consulate, and USAID, who notified representatives of the ‎international community, including the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, the Quartet, and the ‎Economic Cooperation Foundation. Through this collective effort, in June 2008, the ‎roadblock was officially removed and the road reopened to commercial traffic. ‎

Since the removal of this roadblock, businesses have gained time, money, and ‎motivation. "For each cargo truck traveling out of Hebron, we have saved a travel ‎distance of approximately 10 to 18 kilometers, a travel time of 1 to 2 hours, and a ‎shipping cost of approximately USD 30," said Mr. Al Atrash. For some companies this ‎means a substantial savings of more than USD 4,000 per month. In addition, companies ‎that were shipping two or three loads per day are now shipping five or six loads per day. ‎

‎"Life for us has changed since the roadblock has been removed," said Mr. Al Atrash. ‎‎"Not only has the Hebron industrial area been revitalized, but more importantly, our ‎children can breathe clean air and play in the streets again."‎