Egypt’s foreign minister said on Wednesday that 100 countries will participate in the proposed Gaza reconstruction conference, with the first phase of reconstruction including the conversion of temporary housing units into permanent structures.
Dr Badr Abdelatty explained that the extraordinary Arab Summit hosted by Cairo on Tuesday was both important and successful at this precise point in time, as a set of constants were agreed upon, the most important of which is the complete rejection of the displacement of the Palestinians. He said that a vision was presented to deal with the current catastrophic conditions in the Gaza Strip, as an international fund will be set up for the reconstruction of the enclave.
The minister stressed that there is an Arab consensus on adopting the Egyptian plan to reconstruct and develop the Gaza Strip, in addition to an agreement to embody the state of Palestine on all of the Palestinian national territory.
Abdelatty pointed out that those present at the summit presented a vision for a committee to manage the affairs of the Strip for a specific period, which will include figures from Gaza.
“There will be visits to the US and EU to mobilise political and material support to implement the reconstruction plan,” added the Egyptian official. All existing challenges such as rubble and unexploded ordnance are covered in the plan, he noted, adding that the reconstruction conference will be at ministerial level and held in cooperation with the UN.
The extraordinary Arab Summit dedicated to Palestine adopted the plan submitted by Egypt, in full coordination with the Palestinian Authority and the Arab countries. It was based on studies conducted by the World Bank and the UN Development Fund (UNDP), regarding early recovery and reconstruction of Gaza as a comprehensive Arab plan, and works to provide all types of financial, material and political support to implement it.
