The news is not all bad

Peace with Jordan seems to be working out. Really. In this IMRA report, statistics are shown demonstrating the level of trade, cooperation and even tourism between the two countries. The most important gain for the Arabs is the increase in industry, and the employment and export gains that go with it.

One of the most prominent examples of the "fruits of peace" with Israel is the dramatic rise in Jordanian exports to the United States, which has become in recent years the Kingdom's No. 1 market (constituting about 30% of total Jordanian exports). This is a direct result of the Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) Agreement of 1996, which established industrial parks as part of the cooperation between Israel and Jordan and with the active support of the American government and Congress. The QIZ initiative enables Jordanian products with Israeli added value to be imported into the American market duty free. Another important benefit of QIZ is the employment provided by its factories to nearly 30 thousand people, most of them Jordanians. As a result of QIZ, Jordanian exports to the US increased from $13 million in 1999 to $660 million in 2003, and will approach $1 billion in 2004.

The Arabs could actually get RICH by NOT waging war against Israel. Peace with Israel (and the improvement in trading status that accompanies it) can accomplish what hundreds of billions of oil dollars could not. Employment, prosperity and a normal life for the Arabs.

Please read it all. It's good news for once.