LOC19:52
16:52 GMT
CAIRO, June 10 (KUNA) -- The Palestinian ambassador to Egypt on Thursday said he was grateful for Kuwait's support to push reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip, after Israeli bombardments caused large-scale damage across the coastal enclave.
Aid from the wider Arab region has flowed into Gaza since the end of the worst violence there in years, Diab Al-Lawah said amid Cairo-hosted talks over reconstruction plans in Gaza, which bore the brunt of "Israel's systematic acts of destruction."
Much of the city's infrastructure now lies in tatters, the diplomat emphasized, saying it would take years to rebuild the damage and restore conditions in place before the latest violence broke out.
The aid Gaza is set to receive would spark positive ripple effects on living conditions in the city, helping lower soaring unemployment rates which reached over 50 percent, added the Palestinian envoy.
On the talks involving Palestinian leaders and Egyptian officials in the capital Cairo that aim to solidify a truce with Israel, he said an end to Israel's "abusive practices" is the proviso needed to push for constructive dialogue.
The talks should be held "within the framework" of relevant international conventions, all of which support an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on 1967 borders, he underlined. (end)
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