Report to the ... Zionist Congress and to the Council of the Jewish Agency in ... · 1935-08-01 · 8.1935 · p. Seite 376

factured goods to the value of £P. 320,000, representing 4.9 per cent, of the total production, were exported. The neglect of the markets of the neighbouring countries is very regrettable, since Jewish industries in Palestine have no prospects of extensive development so long as they are deprived of export facilities. Indeed, the duty of finding markets abroad for the country's industrial products falls upon the Government, and it is to be regretted that this vital problem has not been tackled adequately. Only recently have negotiations with Egypt been resumed with respect to a commercial agreement with Palestine. The Government is now considering the revision of the commercial agreement with Syria, and the question of a commercial agreement with Iraq is also being discussed. In connection with the proposed agreement with Egypt a delegation headed by the Treasurer of the Palestine Government, Mr. Johnson, and accompanied by the Chairman of the Jewish Palestine Industries Association, Mr. Shenker, was sent to Egypt. Mr. N. Tishby, head of the Trade and Industry Department of the Jewish Agency, who was also a member of the delegation, prepared part of the material for these negotiations. In the discussions, the crucial point of which was the export of agricultural produce from Palestine to Egypt, only a preliminary agreement was reached, and for the purpose of continuing the negotiations the Government appointed a special sub-committee, of which the Jewish members are Messrs. Shenker and Tishby. The question of negotiations with Syria creates great uneasiness in industrial circles. Hitherto no customs barriers existed between Syria and Palestine, and it must be admitted that the industrialists in the country have made sufficient use of this important fact in recent years. In the meantime the export trade from Syria to Palestine has increased and is four times as great as that from Palestine to Syria. However, even in the present circumstances Syria is a very important market for many Palestinian industries and an even greater potential market. The Executive of the Jewish Agency is negotiating with the Government on questions of commercial agreements, and its activities are in full accordance with the views of the Federation of Palestine manufacturers. Article 18 of the Palestine Mandate, which places Palestine in the anomalous position that she has no right to discriminate in economic matters between the different members of the League of Nations, thus depriving her of the main weapon in negotiations with foreign countries, constitutes a great impediment to the development of Palestinian industries. The Jewish Agency, in conjunction with other bodies in the Yishuv, has made efforts to mitigate the position by means of direct negotiations with representatives of foreign countries, either through reducing the customs duties on Palestinian products, or by fixing quotas for them. Certain progress in this direction has been made recently. An agreement has been made with representatives from Czechoslovakia, Austria and Switzerland to fix 376