UN General Assembly
1994

All countries of the Middle East face a choice: to remain politically divided and economically stagnant or to become economically advanced and politically just. A high standard of living for the people - all people - is the best promise for stability in our midst. Israel is willing to participate in achieving it. There are sceptics, we know, who do not believe that the Middle East is ripe for a common market similar to the European one. They forget that Europe did not do it in one leap. It started with a Community of coal and steel. We can start with a community of water and tourism. Nor do they believe that the Middle East is ready for a free trade zone like the one in North America. Yet the North American Free Trade Agreement emerged in a short while as a success by linking geographic proximity with economic growth. Those sceptics claim that generations are needed to cement a new market in the Middle East. Well, they can see what in 10 short years happened to Asian