REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, CAIRO - The international donor conference held on Sunday in the Egyptian capital of Cairo raised 5.4 billion US dollars for the construction of the Gaza Strip, Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende revealed in the concluding statement.
The goals of the conference not only aimed at rebuilding the war-torn Gaza, but also tried to end the seven-year-old blockade imposed on the Strip and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state based on the two-state solution, the Egyptian state television quoted the statement as saying.
According to news reported by OANA and Xinhua, the donors reiterated their willingness to pay for these funds as soon as possible to improve the conditions of the Palestinian people, Brende read in the statement, urging both the Palestinians and the Israelis to resume negotiations to put an end to their conflict.
Qatar alone pledged to donate one billion dollars, while Kuwait the United Arab Emirates and Turkey promised to provide 200 million dollars in aid for Gaza. Meanwhile, the United States pledged 212 million dollars and the European Union promised 450 million euros.
High level Arab and foreign delegates, including the Arab League, the United Nations, the European Union, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and representatives of some world powers, joined the Gaza conference.
During the conference, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that this event shouldn't be about "just money but a renewed commitment from everybody to work for peace and meets the aspirations of all."
Kerry also reiterated Washington's support and commitment to the UN-proposed two-state solution that would enable both the Israelis and the Palestinians to live together in peace.
Egypt has recently brokered a comprehensive truce between the Palestinians and Israel after a 51-day Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip that left more than 2,000 Palestinians killed, 11,000 others wounded and over 100,000 homeless, while Hamas attacks killed at least 73 Israelis.
Cairo donor conference for Gaza came a few days after the national unity government under President Mahmoud Abbas took control over the Hamas-ruled Gaza enclave as part of their inter- Palestinian reconciliation agreement.
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