The Palestinian Authority (PA) on April 16 revealed that it will build an international airport near Jerusalem and a railway between West Bank and Gaza Strip in the coming three years.
The Palestinian Transportation Ministry said it will build the airport to handle civil and cargo flights between the future Palestinian state and the outside world. The ministry said that the airport, which would be built in an area between Jerusalem and Jericho, will cost $340 million.
The ministry’s planners said that the airport programme has already received the go-ahead from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and that they are seeking international funding. Sa’di Al-Kronz, the Palestinian transportation minister, said recently that the Palestinian Authority will not seek the approval of Israeli government since the construction of an airport in the West Bank is included in the Oslo peace accord.
Al-Kronz added that the PA will also rebuild the destroyed airport in the Gaza Strip. The ministry also revealed that it will build a railway to connect West Bank and Gaza Strip. The development came days after the PA asked donor countries for nearly $5 billion in order to develop a Palestinian state.