CAIRO, (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called yesterday for a renewed commitment to achieving Middle East peace, saying a lasting deal between Israel, the Palestinians and all their neighbours was possible.
But prospects for a renewed peace process appeared dim as Kerry offered no specifics on how to restart negotiations in his speech to a Gaza reconstruction conference that raised more than $5 billion in aid for the Palestinians after a devastating war in the tiny coastal territory.
The last round of U.S.-brokered peace talks foundered in April over Israeli objections to a Palestinian political unity pact that included the Islamist Hamas movement and over Palestinian opposition to Israeli settlement expansion.
“Out of this conference must come not just money but a renewed commitment from everybody to work for peace that meets the aspirations of all, for Israelis, for Palestinians, for all people of this region,” Kerry told the meeting in Cairo.
“And I promise you the full commitment of President (Barack)Obama, myself and the United States to try to do that,” he said.
“Make no mistake: What was compelling about a two-state solution a year ago is even more compelling today,” added Kerry, referring to the long-term goal of an independent, democratic Palestinian state living peacefully alongside Israel.
At the conference Kerry also announced an additional $212 million in U.S. aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which was badly damaged during a conflict with Israel in July and August in which 2,100 Palestinians died, most of them civilians.
An estimated 18,000 homes and vital infrastructure were destroyed in the seven-week war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist militant group Hamas.
The Palestinians have put the cost of reconstruction at about $4 billion and Norway’s Foreign Minister Borge Brende said the conference had secured $5.4 billion in aid, half of which would be used for rebuilding Gaza and the rest could go to other Palestinian areas.
“TOUGH CHOICES”
Dozens of countries attended the Cairo meeting where a clear message emerged: pledges and picking up the pieces after fighting is not the solution, and a comprehensive Middle East peace deal is needed to end hostilities once and for all.
“A ceasefire is not peace, and we’ve got to find a way to get back to the table and help people make tough choices, real choices,” said Kerry.