عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Palestinian Authority Considers Reconstruction a Matter of Sovereignty

Gaza fishermen protest Israeli decision to reduce the fishing area (AFP)
Gaza fishermen protest Israeli decision to reduce the fishing area (AFP)
TT
TT

Palestinian Authority Considers Reconstruction a Matter of Sovereignty

Gaza fishermen protest Israeli decision to reduce the fishing area (AFP)
Gaza fishermen protest Israeli decision to reduce the fishing area (AFP)

The Palestinian Authority (PA) insists on handling the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, rejecting any attempts to undermine it, according to well-informed Palestinian sources.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the PA is unsatisfied with how Gaza’s reconstruction is being handled, warning that there are steps that can be understood as encouraging the parties to move forward with the issue of separation.

A ministerial delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr, flew to Cairo to discuss the reconstruction process.

The delegation includes Minister of Economy Khaled Ossaili, Minister of Public Works and Housing Mohammad Zyara, Minister of Agriculture Riyad Atari, Minister of Local Government Majdi al-Saleh, Undersecretary in the Civil Affairs Authority Ayman Qandil, and advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office, Isstifan Salameh.

The delegation is set to meet with a number of Egyptian officials dealing with Gaza’s reconstruction.

Disagreements emerged after Egypt adopted the request of the Palestinian factions to form a committee to oversee the process. However, the PA is dissatisfied with Cairo’s efforts to start the reconstruction of Gaza without coordinating with it.

The Authority says that it will undertake the reconstruction process, and has already assessed the damage to infrastructure, residential buildings, and towers.

It also began listing the damages in all sectors, especially health and electricity, as well as agricultural facilities and local government institutions.

During the latest ministerial meeting, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh instructed the formation of a team of ministers, civil society, and the private sector, to follow up the reconstruction process.

He announced that all countries agreed that the reconstruction would take place through the government.

Minister of Finance Shoukry Bishara met a high-level delegation from the World Bank Group, headed by the Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa, Ferid Belhaj, to discuss ways to enhance bilateral cooperation.

They also discussed the Group’s report on the damage caused to all vital and economic sectors in the Strip as a result of the recent Israeli aggression, and the means of reconstruction and reviving the economy.

Belhaj asserted that the World Bank will work with its partners in the United Nations and the European Union to assess the damage and the required needs of the enclave.

The current disputes between the Authority, the factions, and regional countries complicate Cairo’s plan to end the division, establish a comprehensive ceasefire, and reconstruct the Gaza Strip, before launching a new political process.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Germany Says Sanctions against Syrian War Crimes Suspects Must Stay but People Need Relief

A group of young volunteers paints a mural symbolizing peace on a wall on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)
A group of young volunteers paints a mural symbolizing peace on a wall on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)
TT
TT

Germany Says Sanctions against Syrian War Crimes Suspects Must Stay but People Need Relief

A group of young volunteers paints a mural symbolizing peace on a wall on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)
A group of young volunteers paints a mural symbolizing peace on a wall on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (AP)

thGermany’s foreign minister said Sunday that sanctions against Syrian officials responsible for war crimes must remain in place but called for a “smart approach” to provide relief to the Syrian population after last month's overthrow of President Bashar Assad.

Annalena Baerbock spoke to reporters after arriving in Saudi Arabia for a conference on Syria's future attended by top European and Middle Eastern diplomats.

Germany is one of several countries that imposed sanctions on the Assad government over its brutal crackdown on dissent. Those penalties could hinder Syria's recovery from nearly 14 years of civil war that killed an estimated 500,000 people and displaced half the prewar population of 23 million, according to The AP.

“Sanctions against Assad’s henchmen who committed serious crimes during the civil war must remain in place,” Baerbock said. “But Germany proposes to take a smart approach to sanctions, providing rapid relief for the Syrian population. Syrians now need a quick dividend from the transition of power.”

Baerbock announced an additional 50 million euros ($51.2 million) in German aid for food, emergency shelters and medical care, highlighting the ongoing struggles of millions of Syrians displaced by the war.

The sanctions imposed target not only senior government officials, but also the country's oil industry, international money transfers and hundreds of entities and individuals linked to the Assad government, crippling the wider economy.

There are exemptions when it comes to humanitarian aid, but relief organizations have said that overcompliance by financial institutions hinders their operations.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said his country, which was a strong supporter of the Syrian opposition to Assad, would try to aid Syria in normalizing ties with the international community.

He said it was important to establish “a balance between the expectations of the international community and the realities faced by the new administration in Syria.”

He pledged Turkish support to the new government, especially in combating threats from the ISIS group. “As Türkiye, we are ready to do our part to ease the difficult path ahead for the Syrian people,” he said in comments carried by state-run Anadolu Agency.

The United States has eased some restrictions Last week, the United States eased some of its restrictions on Syria, with the US Treasury issuing a general license, lasting six months, that authorizes certain transactions with the Syrian government, including some energy sales and incidental transactions.

The US has also dropped a $10 million bounty it had offered for the capture of Ahmad al-Sharaa, a Syrian opposition leader formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, whose forces led the ouster of Assad last month. Al-Sharaa was a former senior al-Qaeda militant who broke with the group years ago and has pledged an inclusive Syria that respects the rights of religious minorities.

The opposition factions led a lightning insurgency that ousted Assad on Dec. 8 and ended his family’s decades-long rule.

Much of the world severed ties with Assad and imposed sanctions on his government — and its Russian and Iranian allies — over alleged war crimes and the manufacturing of the amphetamine-like stimulant Captagon, which reportedly generated billions of dollars as packages of the little white pills were smuggled across Syria’s porous borders.

With Assad out of the picture, Syria’s new authorities hope that the international community will pour money into the country to rebuild its battered infrastructure and make its economy viable again.