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Abbas at the ceremony for the new housing project
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| By Israel Insider staff and partners October 9, 2005 |
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Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday laid the cornerstone for a new housing project set to rise from the rubble of the former Jewish community Morag, marking the first major construction project in the Gaza Strip since Israel completed its withdrawal from the area last month.
Work is due to start on Sunday on the new Sheikh Khalifa neighborhood, named after Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, which is bankrolling the $100 million, two-year project. It is located at the site of the bulldozed Morag settlement, in the south of the coastal strip.
"We hope to start a new era of construction," Abbas said at the ceremony, carried live on Palestinian television. "Today we are laying the foundation stone for a Palestinian city on the remains of Morag settlement to give a chance for our people to lead a normal life in dignity."
The UAE's Red Crescent Society last year paid $27 million for the reconstruction of the center of the West Bank's Jenin refugee camp. The area was destroyed during an Israeli military operation in April 2002, when 52 Palestinians and 23 Israeli soldiers were killed.
UAE Information Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, brother of the president, attended Saturday's groundbreaking ceremony.
Palestinian officials say the completed project will provide free housing for 25,000 people, together with schools, mosques, medical facilities, a community center and green spaces.
The AP contributed to this report
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