Israel is actively seeking foreign investors to construct a -billion artificial island with a seaport, hotels and an airport just off the coast of the Gaza Strip to ease the blockade it imposed on the Palestinian enclave a decade ago.
The island, envisioned to be eight square kilometers, will be linked to Gaza by a five-kilometer bridge, Minister of Transportation and Minister of Intelligence and Atomic Energy Yisrael Katz said on Monday.
The project would include the construction of a seaport and even an airport that would be administered by the Palestinians and the international community. Israel, however, under the proposal would supervise security of the island and maintain checkpoints on the bridge.
Israel imposed a blockade to prevent the import of weapons to Gaza after Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections in 2006. Israel justifies the blockade as a vital measure to prevent weapons smuggling by Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by Tel Aviv. Israel allows some 850 truckloads of authorized cargo into Gaza daily.
As the conflict between Hamas and Tel Aviv continues, the militant organization has long insisted that one of the preconditions for a long-term truce would be the reopening of the destroyed Yasser Arafat Airport and creation of a seaport to boost the enclave’s economy.
Citing national security concerns, Katz said building an artificial island could be a compromise to ease the economic hardship of the Gaza Strip while potentially meeting Hamas’ demands.