As symbols for shattered sovereignty and political failure go, few beat the forlorn ruins of Gaza’s international airport. On its opening day on November 24, 1998, planes from Egypt, Morocco, Spain, Austria and the now-defunct Palestinian Airlines could be seen at Yasser Arafat International Airport, close to the border with Egypt. Along with plans for a major seaport, the air link was part of the Oslo agreements reached in 1993 that offered Palestinians even a limited taste of life free from Israeli occupation.
Fast forward to 2024 and the airport is still in ruins, having been bombed in 2001 by Israeli forces, who then went on to rip up its runway with bulldozers the following year. Work on the seaport began in July 2000 but ground to a halt amid a lack of construction materials and the turmoil of the Second Intifada that erupted later that year. Gaza remains without the infrastructure necessary to import goods by sea – an issue that has become painfully apparent amid the recent rush to build a floating pier off its shoreline that would allow emergency aid to be unloaded.
The lack of vital infrastructure is one of the reasons the Palestinian enclave has remained impoverished and dependent on aid for decades. This imposed helplessness has been exacerbated by Israel’s military response to Hamas’s October 7 attacks. At the start of February, the UNRWA – the UN agency for Palestinian refugees – said more than 70 per cent of civilian infrastructure, including homes, hospitals and schools, have been destroyed or severely damaged. While those who have died can never be replaced, and those orphaned or severely injured cannot be made whole, rebuilding infrastructure will take years of funding, planning and work.
But who will pay for all this? Those looking to the US will not be reassured, having seen its politicians feuding about whether to keep spending taxpayers’ money on supplying Ukraine – an American ally – with much-needed arms. Similarly, the EU has provided an enormous sum – €88 billion ($96.2 billion) and counting – in economic, humanitarian and military support for Ukraine since the 2022 invasion by Russia. Given their many spending commitments, persuading the West to invest heavily in Gazan reconstruction may prove difficult.
What of Israel? Fourteen years ago, the country paid the UNRWA $10.5 million for damage caused by its forces during the 2008-2009 Gaza War. According to a report from Gisha, an Israeli human rights NGO, this sum was barely enough to cover the estimated $10 million cost of the damage done to Gaza’s electricity network alone. Given the rhetoric coming from Israel’s current leadership, and despite the pragmatic sense it would make for Israeli security to have a functional and stable neighbour, it seems unlikely that funding to rebuild will come from this quarter.
Attention has turned to Arab states to potentially step in and pay for rebuilding Gaza. Despite many countries in the Arab world donating often and well to Palestinian relief efforts, these nations are wary of funding reconstruction for damage they did not cause and that could be bombed flat again at a moment’s notice.
More importantly, for Arab countries, funding is the not the key issue – the lack of a political process is. A clear programme that begins with a ceasefire and ends with the political solution that just about all parties recognise is the way out of the conflict is what’s needed. Where there is consensus, funds and action can follow effectively. In a recent interview with The National, GCC Secretary General Jasem Al Budaiwi recalled how, within days of Israel’s strikes on Gaza after Hamas’s attack on October 7, the bloc’s foreign ministers met in an extraordinary session and within 45 minutes had agreed on $100 million in humanitarian aid.
Reconstruction after a war is never easy. As well as funding and stability, much will also depend upon the role of the Palestinian leadership, which will have to be supported as it attempts to reassert itself as capable and representative.
But the rubble of Gaza’s airport tells us one thing: that better times are possible. The optimism of the Oslo years, and the tantalising glimpse of a Palestine that was open to the world should not be forgotten. While Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide concurred that ultimately the Oslo Accords led to “false promises”, he and other officials from around the world are trying to make those promises realities. The resolve of the Palestinian people should be enough inspiration for those with the patience and fortitude to rebuild when this war ends.
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
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Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
Bundesliga fixtures
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
More coverage from the Future Forum
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
