In his meetings with potential Palestinian partners, cultural and political differences were thrown aside in favor of the common lexicon of business. But there were some hurdles, Elias recalled. One time, he and his partners were driving to a possible development site in the Palestinian territory when they heard there were riots and demonstrations in the area. And he said that he's looking out the window and he sees nothing. The Palestinian contact's answer, Elias said, alleviated some of his concerns about doing business with the Palestinians.
People go to work, and everything is normal.
According to Elias, Internative liked what it saw in the Palestinian territory. By the time Elias left Israel on a business trip some weeks ago, plans for a joint venture were all but cemented. Then, suddenly, the region exploded. The rock-throwing moved beyond the outskirts of small Palestinian towns, capturing the attention of the whole world. To date, more than 100 people have died in the conflict, and a political peace seems distant.