Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer said Sunday that the country could expect an economic growth in the range of 7 percent should a peace agreement be signed with the Palestinians.

The difference would be evident in the amount Israel needs to invest in security, Fischer told delegates to the Herzliya Conference. The last five years has seen economic growth of up to 5 percent, said Fischer. “So with peace agreements and conditions, we could have a growth of more like 6 or 7 percent,” said Fischer.

National Security Adviser Uzi Arad told delegates to the conference earlier Sunday that the Palestinian Authority’s “policy of refusal” was to blamed for stalled peace negotiations.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was “once too strong, once too weak, once is waiting for elections, other times he’s moody, and at a different time he’s waiting for an Arab League conference,” Arad said.

“The reasons may change but the Palestinian policy of refusal continues, refusal to negotiate. It’s very disappointing,” said Arad, warning that such reluctance “will become a problem for the Palestinians.”

Nevertheless, Arad said such a stalemate could be overcome and negotiations may well resume.

Arad also lambasted Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad for supporting a boycott of Israeli products made in West Bank settlements. Fayyad is set to address the conference on Tuesday alongside Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief

You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.

And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.

That’s where you come in. Gifts of any size keep the Forward free and accessible to everyone and ensure we have the resources we need to power the Forward at this critical time for American Jews.

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. Will you support our work today?

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT