GAZA STRIP - Palestinian minister for civilian Affairs Mohammed Dahlan said
Friday that Gush Katif settlements
will house up to 250,000 Palestinians after Israel pulls out of the area next month.
Speaking to the Saudi al-Watan newspaper, Dahlan said the current infrastructure of the settlements is not sufficient for Palestinian
needs. He also said Israel’s plan to destroy settlement houses was one-sided, but repeated his demand that Israel clear the rubble once the destruction is complete.
He added the Palestinians have suggested a third party take responsibility for security and customs inspections at Gaza International Airport, in order to allow the airport to open for the first time since 2000.
Israel shut down the terminal at the start of the intifada.
Israel, Egpyt agreement 'in days'
Also Thursday, William Ward, the U.S. Security Coordinator William Ward told the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee that Israel and Egypt will sign an agreement to hand security responsibility for the area to Egypt.
“It is a matter of days until a solution can be found and a mechanism found to transfer the Philadelphi Route to Egyptian control,” said Ward.
The Fatah Central Committee rejected yesterday a suggestion to declare a temporary Palestinian state in Gaza. 16 committee members met in Amman, Jordan for the first time in about 10 years and reiterated their intention to create a country within the 1967 borders.
“A state with temporary borders in the Gaza Strip has been rejected outright,” said Deputy Prime Minister Nabil Shaath.
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