Doubts about the near future are built into the accord. The interim period and its arrangements are to continue for at least two years, but thereafter the picture is very uncertain. It is not clear whether Yitzhak Rabin and his dovish government will remain in power after the 1996 elections, or whether the Likud will honour commitments given in the accord. The confusion created by the ambiguous relationship between the Mandatory and Jordanian statutory law, Israeli military orders and Civil Administration directives contrasts sharply with the relative coherence of the Jordanian and Israeli legal systems. However it is not clear what legal regime will then be established.
Legal uncertainty is thus rife.
The West Bank and Gaza Strip are still far from providing the conditions that make private investment feasible, let alone profitable. Even when Israel controlled all the West Bank and Gaza, few Israelis invested their resources in these areas. It is clear that Israel will not supply guarantees for investments in the Occupied Territories. At present there is no developed banking system that can mobilise household savings and direct them into productive investment. Informal money-changers therefore constituted a significant segment of the financial system.