UN General Assembly
1998

betrayed, and it not only threatens us but undermines Arab Governments and societies. It endangers the peace of the world. For terrorism to be defeated, terrorists must be punished and deterred, and the climate of support they enjoy in various lands must disappear. That is the only way that terrorism will decline and its growth be arrested and that it will ultimately be rooted out from our lives. The elimination of terrorism will undoubtedly lead to prosperity in our region. We envision a market-based regional economy between Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. As I speak we are lifting the barriers to trade, eliminating red tape and promoting joint business ventures between the parties. Trade between Israel and the Palestinians has shot up enormously in the last two years because our policy is a liberal policy. If things are better for them economically, things are better for us. I should like to give an example relating to the transfer of value added tax (VAT) from Palestinian workers working in Israel, whose numbers have grown