Peace Harvest

Amid the rubble of the former Jewish settlements, Palestinians have sown the first seeds of a modest economic revival. Less than three months after the Israelis departed, Palestinians have repaired scores of greenhouses left by the settlers and planted a fall crop, and they are preparing to harvest an estimated 20 million worth of strawberries, cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers and herbs and spices.

The produce is intended mostly for export to Europe, but some will also be headed to Israel, Arab countries and the US. After overcoming numerous obstacles, the Palestinians said their main worry was the Karni border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel, critical to moving the produce to the markets. But after intense negotiations this month, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice brokered an agreement that says Palestinian agricultural exports are to pass through Karni 8216;8216;on an urgent basis8217;8217;.

The harvest will be the first tangible measure of development in Gaza, which has been in an economic free fall for most of the past five years. 8216;8216;I think we have made this a success in a very short period,8217;8217; said Bassil Jabir, director of the Palestine Economic Development Co., a government group that works with the private sector and is overseeing greenhouse rehabilitation.

Israel says it too has an incentive in seeing Gaza8217;s economy prosper. 8216;8216;We understand that a successful Gaza economy is a crucial ingredient in the overall success of what is now Palestinian Gaza,8217;8217; said Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israel8217;s Foreign Ministry. 8216;8216;And the success of Gaza is a crucial factor in getting the peace process back on track.8217;8217;