TEMPO.CO, Washington, D.C. - The United States demands Israel to play a role in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and urges Israel and Palestine to agree in a permanent ceasefire.
US Secretary of State John Kerry will attend the reconstruction conference hosted in Cairo by Egypt and Norway on Sunday.
US said the conference is a "major humanitarian assistance and reconstruction effort" after a 50-day devastating war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Palestine has unveiled a 76-page reconstruction for Gaza, requesting US$4 billion to rebuild the territory destroyed by the war, with the largest amount going to build housing for 100,000 left homeless.
Washington has promised to provide US$118 million to help the Palestinians in Gaza. Other countries will also donate in the meeting later in Cairo, according to US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
"We do think that Israel will need to play a role in Gaza reconstruction," Psaki said. "We were pleased to see that the UN, Israel and the Palestinian Authority agreed on procedures aimed at expediting the passage of relief materials into Gaza, while taking into account Israel's security needs."
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