MIDDLE EAST: Greenhouses owned by settlers in Gaza will be purchased by a private foundation - for a sum of $14 million (€11.3 million) - and handed over to the Palestinians once Israel has withdrawn from the Strip, according to an agreement reached yesterday.
The deal became possible after the entire sum was raised via private donations, including one of $500,000 by James Wolfensohn, the Quartet envoy in the region trying to co-ordinate Israelis and Palestinians to ensure the economic development of Gaza after the pull-out.
The greenhouses included in the deal cover some 800 acres and are owned by about 400 farmers. They were bought by the Economic Co-operation Foundation (ECF), headed by Yossi Beilin, a political dove and one of the architects of the Oslo peace accords. He said the other donors included personal friends of Mr Wolfensohn, the former World Bank president.
Farmers will receive half the money for their greenhouses after the settlements have been evacuated and the remainder once the Israeli army has left. They will then be handed over to Palestinian farmers.
The deal covers about 75 per cent of the settler greenhouses, with the other 25 per cent already dismantled and moved inside Israel proper. Settler farmers have grown tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and flowers in the greenhouses, much for export. By ensuring the greenhouses aren't destroyed, jobs for about 4,000 Palestinians would be assured, Mr Beilin said.
With just four days until the evacuation begins, Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon suggested in an interview that he might be ready to remove more settlements in the West Bank.