Our overall priority is to work with the State Department, the Administration, and the governments in the region to facilitate the peace process. In particular, we are focusing on the incredible shortage of water in the region. Historically, lack of water has been a source of conflict. In Gaza, for example, there is a terrific industrial estate which is already attracting investment, including Israeli and Palestinian investment.
Industrial estates provide jobs, particularly to women.
In these factories you see a lot of women working. We are creating employment for people who otherwise would not be able to work. Often times the man in the family is not working, so women work to provide the families with some income which means their kids are less likely to be out in the streets throwing stones. In addition, we closely scrutinize our industrial estate program to ensure that it is U.S. job-loss neutral. Congress is both our partner and financial master.