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Gaza Seaport is a planned seaport in the
Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...
. The establishment of a Gaza seaport was mentioned in the Oslo I Accord, as early as 1993. The 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum determined that the construction works could commence on 1 October 1999. The project started on 18 July 2000, but was stopped in an early stage due to obstruction of the supply of construction materials, and destruction by the
Israeli army The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branch ...
in September and October 2000 when the Second Intifada inflamed. The 2005
Agreement on Movement and Access The Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA) was an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) signed on 15 November 2005 aimed at improving Palestinian freedom of movement and economic activity within the Palestinian territorie ...
, following the Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, re-announced the start of the works. Israel promised to assure donors that it will not interfere with operation of the port.''Agreed documents by Israel and Palestinians on Movement and Access from and to Gaza''
. "Agreement on Movement and Access" and "Agreed Principles for Rafah Crossing", 15 November 2005
As of 2014, however, the construction has not been resumed.


Seaport plans in the peace process

The 1993
Oslo I Accord The Oslo I Accord or Oslo I, officially called the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements or short Declaration of Principles (DOP), was an attempt in 1993 to set up a framework that would lead to the resolution of th ...
announced a program for the establishment of a Gaza Sea Port Area. Plans were re-announced in the 1994 Gaza–Jericho Agreement. The 1999
Sharm el-Sheikh Memorandum The Sharm El Sheikh Memorandum, full name: The Sharm El Sheikh Memorandum on Implementation Timeline of Outstanding Commitments of Agreements Signed and the Resumption of Permanent Status Negotiations was a memorandum signed on September 4, 1999 ...
determined that the construction works could commence on 1 October 1999, but construction did not start until July 2000. Israel committed itself to facilitate the works. The Memorandum also determined that the port would not be operated in any way before reaching a joint ''Sea Port Protocol''. Such a protocol, however, has never been signed.


1994/2000 PA plan

In 1994, the Dutch Government committed some NLG45 million (circa €23 million) to the Gaza Sea Port project; France committed additional US$20 million. The same year, the
Palestinian Authority The Palestinian National Authority (PA or PNA; ar, السلطة الوطنية الفلسطينية '), commonly known as the Palestinian Authority and officially the State of Palestine,
(PA) and the Dutch-French ''European Gaza Development Group'' (EGDG) signed a contract for the project. It was difficult to reach consensus with Israel on issues regarding engineering, operations and security. Due to Israeli obstruction, the 1994 contract expired before the works could start.''Palestinian territories – Review of the Netherlands development programme for the Palestinian territories, 1994-1999''
IOB-evaluation no. 282, pp. 32, 34, 37-38. Policy and Operations Evaluation Department (IOB) of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, November 1999
On 20 April 2000, the parties signed a new contract. Phase one of the project started on 18 July.''Power Point Presentation of the project''
/ref> The construction was halted, as Israel refused to facilitate the supply of needed construction materials. On 17 and 18 September 2000, Israeli tanks destroyed the project site. In October, Israel bombed the building site in response to an incident in Ramallah. Following this, the Donor States ceased funding the project and the work on the port stopped.''One Big Prison—Freedom of Movement to and from theGaza Strip on the Eve of the Disengagement Plan''
p. 60. HaMoked and B’Tselem, March 2005. Summary o
UNISPAL
/ref>


2011 Israeli plan

In March 2011, Israeli transport minister
Yisrael Katz Yisrael Katz ( he, ישראל כץ, 6 December 1927 – 29 October 2010) was an Israeli scholar, civil servant and politician who served as Minister of Labor and Social Affairs. He was one of the most influential people in Israel in the creation ...
revealed a plan to build an island off the coast of the Gaza Strip with sea and air ports, a tourist area and a desalination plant for sea water.''Israel may build artificial island off Gaza Strip coast''
Conal Urquhart, The Guardian, 30 March 2011
Israel planning to build island off Gaza Strip for port
Agence France-Presse (The National), 31 March 2011
The island might be managed by the Palestinian Authority and could be under international control for at least 100 years to ensure Israel's security. The project would cost US$5 billion to $10 billion and take six to 10 years to complete. Katz said that the project would free Israel of responsibility for controlling commerce with Gaza and ''"aims at a total break with the Gaza Strip, while now Israel continues to be responsible for the trade of this area because we have not permitted the building of a port and airport"'' ... ''"would allow us to break all ties with Gaza while maintaining our control over maritime security through the blockade, which is critical in blocking arms traffic"'' nd the plan would allow Israel''"to take the initiative, gain international support and open a political horizon on the key question of Gaza, without having to rely on Hamas."'' Environmentalists and Palestinian officials described the venture as "fantasy" and "madness", and accused the minister of political opportunism. A PA spokesman said that there were many simpler measures to improve the lives of Palestinians. ''"If they want to help Palestinians, they must end the siege on Gaza, and allow the reintegration of the West Bank and Gaza and the establishment of a Palestinian state. Then they are welcome to make proposals."''


2014 PA plan

In February 2014, Palestinian Transportation Minister Nabil Dmeidi revealed that the Palestinian Authority and Egypt have been working on plans for building two airports in the West Bank, as well as a seaport in the Gaza Strip and a railway line between the Gaza Strip and Cairo. The transport ministry has signed a protocol of cooperation with Egypt's civil aviation authority to benefit from Egyptian expertise. The plans included the building of an airport east of Jericho and a second smaller one, somewhere in Area C.''Palestinians plan airports in West Bank, seaport and railway in Gaza''
Haaretz, 10 February 2014
In May 2014, the Euro-Mid Observer for Human Rights released a working paper about the possibilities to realize the Seaport plans as an answer to the
Blockade of the Gaza Strip The blockade of the Gaza Strip is the ongoing land, air, and sea blockade of the Gaza Strip imposed by Israel and Egypt temporarily in 2005–2006 and permanently from 2007 onwards, following the Israeli disengagement from Gaza. The b ...
. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay, said that the blockade is a violation of human rights and humanitarian law. The San Remo Manual on International Law applicable to armed conflicts at sea states that if the supplies essential for their survival are not reaching them, then the blockading party must provide them with these materials.''Working Paper: Gaza Seaport, A Windowpane to the World''
Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, 16 May 2014
Here available
/ref>


Port of Gaza City

Currently, Gaza only has a small port in Gaza City, the
Port of Gaza The Port of Gaza is a small port near the Rimal district of Gaza City. It is the home port of Palestinian fishing-boats and the base of the Palestinian Naval Police, a branch of the Palestinian National Security Forces. Under the Oslo II Accord, ...
. It is the home port of Palestinian fishing-boats and the Palestinian naval police. The Port of Gaza has been under Israeli siege since 2007, when Israel imposed a strict blockade on Gaza.


References

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External links


''Managerial Obstacles Facing the Gaza Seaport Project''
Dissertation Mahmoud Zakaria Al-Madhoun, May 2007 Buildings and structures in the Gaza Strip Treaties of the State of Palestine Treaties of Israel