U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who has already visited the Middle East four times since being named his new post in February, meets with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on May 23, 2013. Photo: State Department.

Palestinian Arabs shouldn’t have “excessive dreams,” about  U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s proposal to boost the Palestinian Authority economy, a senior economic adviser to President Abbas told Ma’an News Agency Tuesday.

Mohammad Mustafa said the political climate would not allow for such an initiative, despite the fact that the Palestinian Authority welcomes the proposal by Kerry to boost their faltering economy.

“We told him that the political element should go side by side with the economic element because part of the establishment of an independent Palestinian state must be an independent economy,” Mustafa told Ma’an.

Mustafa added demands for more control over resources in Gaza and the West Bank citing a 1999 agreement with Israel allowing for the extraction of gas from Gaza’s shores.

“We should have control of our resources and border crossings, and we must be allowed to invest in sectors like energy, tourism, and transportation. There can’t be statehood and an economy without a harbor or airport,” Mustafa told Ma’an.

While at the World Economic Forum in Jordan this past weekend, Kerry  sketched out a plan to spur Palestinian Authority economic growth with up to $4 billion in private investment.