ISDS Case Map
Israel
Once the agreement comes into effect, export volumes of Israeli processed foods to the EU are expected to more than double. "These concessions represent a major step forward in the integration of the EU and Israeli markets," the European Commission said.
Israel is not interested in the supposed “peace dividends” associated with free trade based on the sovereign economic policy of all parties. Israel evidently has other plans, most obvious of which are territorial expansionism and control of the population, both incompatible with Palestinian sovereignty.
The European Union is considering new steps to deepen its cooperation on scientific research with Israel, despite admitting that previous funds earmarked for that purpose have gone to firms operating illegally in the Palestinian territories.
Japanese officials have expressed interest in Israel's water and aerospace industries.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is to leave Sunday on a four-day trip to Japan, with an eye to boosting bilateral trade.
Mercosur, the South American trade bloc (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), signed a free-trade agreement with Israel on Tuesday, its first pact with a country outside of Latin America.
Israel is due to sign a free-trade agreement with Mercosur this week, and is considering an agreement with Russia and India.
Mercosur is expected to sign a free trade agreement with Israel next week during the Mercosur Summit in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Key members of the Israeli and Palestinian private sectors recommended in a joint study that peace negotiators adopt a "Free Trade Agreement Plus" (FTA Plus) as the basis for economic relations between Israel and any future Palestinian state.
The agreement deals with economic issues, as well as with the legal and financial status of Church properties in the Holy Land.
