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Source: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/middle-east/2017-01-11/commercial-diplomacy-middle-east
Commercial Diplomacy in the Middle East
(Foreign Affairs) Haisam Hassanein - The Qualifying Industrial Zones (QIZs) protocol between Egypt and Israel, guided by U.S. commercial diplomacy, helped save the Egyptian textile industry. After the QIZ's inception, Egyptian ready-made garment exports jumped from $288.3 million in 2005 to $636.2 million in 2006, reaching $842.4 million in 2015. Today, QIZ locations include Alexandria, the greater Cairo area, the central Delta region, the Suez Canal area, and upper Egypt. As of 2015, the QIZs had helped create 280,000 new jobs in the textile and apparel sector. The initial list of 397 QIZ-approved companies has expanded to more than 700. Egyptian-born Haisam Hassanein received an M.A. in Middle Eastern studies from Tel Aviv University, where he was named the graduate school valedictorian, and is currently a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.