A good deal in bad neighborhoods: Why the Gulf’s best bet remains in Jerusalem - opinion

Israel's Finance Ministry published the outgoing year's economic balance sheet ahead of Rosh Hashanah, revealing a 3.3% unemployment rate, rising GDP per capita of around $60,000, inflation under 2%, and nearly doubled foreign investment. The article argues that despite being in its longest war, Israel has cemented itself as a stable economic powerhouse in a volatile region, making it the Gulf's best bet for business.

Israel's Finance Ministry published the outgoing year's economic balance sheet ahead of Rosh Hashanah, entering a fourth year of war. The data shows a 3.3% unemployment rate, rising GDP per capita of around $60,000, inflation under 2%, and foreign investment nearly doubling over the past year. The opinion piece argues that Israel has cemented itself as an undisputed, stable economic powerhouse in the world's most dangerous and unstable neighborhood. It contrasts Israel's performance with its neighbors: Lebanon's loss of sovereignty, Syria's fragmentation, Egypt's economic struggles despite megaprojects, and Jordan's refugee crisis. The author asserts that the Abraham Accords' survival proves the region's best bet remains doing business with Israel, noting UAE trade surpassing $3 billion and Morocco's defense imports. The piece proposes a cross-border energy and compute hub in the Gulf of Aqaba, combining Saudi oil, Egyptian and Jordanian land and labor, and Israeli innovation to power AI data centers. The framing relies on a stark contrast between Israeli success and regional failure, with emotionally charged vocabulary applied to neighbors' conditions.