LONDON: Israel is refusing to permit the construction of a strategically important military outpost for the Board of Peace in Gaza, according to The Guardian.
The international organisation, which was authorised by the United Nations last year and is chaired by US President Donald Trump, awarded its first construction contract for a project in Gaza in early August.
Under the agreement, Louisiana-based Arkel International was tasked with constructing a military outpost to accommodate 150 international troops.
The personnel are expected to serve as the advance contingent of a proposed international stabilization force intended to operate in the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
However, two months later Israel has yet to permit the contract to move ahead, a source told The Guardian.
Workers and trucks are being prevented from crossing into Gaza to begin work on the outpost. “Israel won’t open the border,” the source said.
Rotating deployments of 150 armed troops would take place at the outpost, the source said. These troops would be part of a larger deployment of 500 soldiers already sent from Morocco and Kosovo.
The rest of the Board of Peace’s program rests on fulfilling the Arkel contract, and Israel’s refusal to allow the company to begin work is undermining the board’s plans, the source said.
“You can’t get in without (an international stabilisation force). You can’t rebuild,” they added. “There’s no security. There are no deliveries of construction equipment. You can’t even start putting utilities. You can’t start putting in basic life-support facilities.”
Board of Peace unveils $2.45 billion Gaza recovery plan
Last month Board of Peace on unveiled a $2.45 billion plan for Gaza’s recovery, proposing 66 projects over six months to provide temporary housing and support economic recovery in the war-ravaged territory.
The plan was presented in New York during a meeting of Board of Peace members and stakeholders held on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, where the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and prospects for ending the conflict remained major issues.
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The proposed recovery programme focuses on temporary accommodation and economic rehabilitation, according to the presentation. The Board of Peace was initially established to oversee a ceasefire in Gaza and the territory’s reconstruction following the war between Israel and Hamas.
Nickolay Mladenov, the board’s high representative for Gaza, called for support for the recovery plan, while acknowledging the political difficulties involved in discussions with Israel ahead of its elections.
