AL-KHODARY: SIEGE OF GAZA REPRESENTS THE MOST SERIOUS OBSTACLE TO RECONSTRUCTION

Gaza, 15 Rabi’ul Akhir 1436/5 February 2015 (MINA) – Palestinian MP Jamal Al-Khodary, of the Popular Committee Against the Siege, has said that the Israeli blockade against the Gaza Strip, which restricts the entry of construction materials, constitutes the most serious obstacle to the reconstruction of the Strip and is serving to exacerbate an already deteriorating humanitarian situation.

Al-Khodary stressed that the key to the reconstruction of Gaza lies in lifting the blockade and the implementation of donor pledges made during the Reconstruction of Gaza Conference in Cairo, which took place in October last year following the devastating Israeli offensive against the Strip over the summer.

In a press statement, Al-Khodary explained that the building materials allowed to enter the Strip by the Israeli occupation since October of last year do not meet Gaza’s needs. Middle East Monitor (MEMO) quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting, Wednesday.

He pointed to the availability of funding – amounting to about $400 million – for projects belonging to Arab and international institutions, as well as the private sector; but that they have all been put on hold due to the Israeli blockade.

“The construction materials are needed for three important paths. First, for the reconstruction operation, which requires the donors’ funding in addition to the entry of construction materials; and secondly, local and Arab projects funded by institutions where the funding is available but the projects are stalled due to the blockade and the Israeli restrictions on the entry of construction materials.

The third [path] is represented in the international projects, for which funding is also available – but they are all subject to a schedule set by Israel for the entry of building materials that they require; a system that hinders the implementation of such projects in a smooth way.”

The head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege explained that preventing the entry of construction materials also means disabling thousands of builders, factories, construction companies and thousands of technicians and engineers.

He said, thus resulting in the rise of unemployment in the Strip to up to 60 per cent, with the poverty rate estimated at 80 per cent.(T/P008/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)