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I.M.F. Says West Bank Economic Growth Is Imperiled by Israel and Arab States

By ETHAN BRONNER

JERUSALEM - The International Monetary Fund is preparing a report on the Palestinian economy that praises the actions of the West Bank government and the large donations of Western countries, especially European ones, but argues that healthy recent growth rates are imperiled by the parties that claim to have the most at stake - Israel and the Arab states.

"There is a very high risk that the growth of the last year will not last," Oussama Kanaan, head of the fund's mission to the Palestinian territories, said in an interview ahead of a meeting in Madrid next week of donor countries where he will present the report. "There has been no additional significant easing of restrictions by Israel so far in 2010. And there is a lack of donor support, especially among the Arabs, who need to give in a more systematic and predictable way to build investor confidence."

Read the complete story on the New York Times