Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh met today with Ferid Belhaj, World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa, and the accompanying delegation, in Ramallah, where they discussed efforts exerted for the reconstruction of the devastated Gaza Strip and the necessary financial support for it.
Shtayyeh stressed that the reconstruction of Gaza must be commenced based on new mechanisms that ensure completeness of the reconstruction within an achievable time frame.
He said the reconstruction of the Strip will be done through three stages; the provision of humanitarian relief, then the reconstruction efforts, followed by efforts to recover the Strip’s economy and create job opportunities.
He stressed that what Gaza needs is an immediate end to the Israeli blockade and that any economic solutions will not be enough without an end to the siege.
Shtayyeh discussed with the visiting delegation the aid provided by the World Bank to Palestine and the possibility of increasing it and briefed them on the strategic plans recently launched by the Palestinian government to achieve sustainable development.
For his part, World Bank Vice President said the meeting also covered multiple issues, including emergency recovery needs, and the best ways to provide World Bank support.
Source: Palestinian News & Info Agency