Anabtawi Group’s Successful, Effective Participation in Palestine Investment Conference

Engineer Ziad Anabtawi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Anabtawi Group of Companies paid his thanks and appreciation to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad for their patronage and continued support of Palestine Investment Conference which was held in Bethlehem recently.

Anabtawi said that there is a need now to start practical implementation of the Conference results in order for its effects to reflect positively on the Palestinian citizens and the national economy, through adopting scientific methods and enforcing law and order. There is also a need to support the agricultural sector, particularly olive oil production, by supporting and assisting companies operating in this business and providing soft loans to farmers in a bid to develop this important sector.
Anabtawi described his Group’s participation in the conference as successful; it left a positive impression on participants and investors. In addition, the Group’s president discussed with conferees the proposal to form Palestinian products’ overseas export and distribution networks, pointing to the importance of this proposal to the Palestinian economy and stressing that this will not be achieved unless there are businessmen not only capable and willing to invest, develop the private sector and create employment opportunities, but also prepared to assist in exporting Palestinian products and services abroad; to the Arab World as well as the Western one, and not to leave Palestine as merely a consumer market for Israeli products.

Anabtawi stressed that this subject will be followed up with the Minister of Economy, H.E. Kamal Hassounah, who promised to hold meetings in the coming days to study the proposal and draw a plan to implement it in the near future, noting its importance.

The Group’s delegation to the Conference held fruitful meetings with prospective strategic partners in which they discussed their ideas and plans to develop the Group and raise its performance level, which will reflect positively and immediately on the national economy. Anabtawi made it clear that the matter will be pursued after preparing the necessary studies.

Anabtawi pointed out that during conference meetings, he proposed ideas for cooperation with the public sector regarding the support this sector can provide to the agricultural sector through Al’Ard Agricultural Products, one of Anabtawi Group’s companies. Government officials promised to study this important issue and provide whatever is required in support thereof.

On the other hand, the Group’s pavilion at the Palestine Exhibition, held alongside the investment conference, proved distinctive through the products exhibited and the symbolic gifts presented to conference delegates. Anabtawi said that the group’s pavilion was successful and drew a noticeable number of visitors from among conference participants and the public who expressed their great appreciation of the pavilion, which was distinctive in its design and the products exhibited. It was the centre of conference delegates’ attention.

The pavilion exhibited the Group’s products, especially “Al’Ard” extra-quality Palestinian olive oil, in various packages and volumes, in addition to the valuable gifts presented to visitors who expressed their great appreciation. The gift package included Al’Ard olive oil, Nablus soap and local thyme.

Anabtawi concluded that “undoubtedly, the Palestine Investment Conference is an important pioneering event. Achievements started to be realized the moment we started preparing for the conference; self evaluation, expansion of development horizons, in addition to modernization and the great internal change, in order to synchronize our situation with the investment requirements”.

Anabtawi paid tribute equally to organizers of the conference and those of the fair, and special thanks to Dr Hassan Abu Libdeh for all their hard efforts to make the two events a success and present them in such a manner that enhanced Palestine’s image and provided local and Arab investors and participating foreign missions with a chance to see the true picture in Palestine and announce their investment projects. Something, Anabtawi added, which will greatly benefit the Palestinian economy and help it overcome the problems it faces as a result of the difficult conditions the Palestinian territories pass through.