Report: Israel to Build Solar Panel Farm for Gaza

Israel has authorized the establishment of a solar panel farm to generate electricity for Gaza, a report in Yediot Achronot said. The solar panel farm will be established on the Israeli side of the Gaza border fence, near the Erez Crossing. The solar farm will include a generator to convert the solar energy to electricity, which will be transferred to Gaza. According to the report, the decision to establish the solar facility was Israel’s alone; Hamas has not been consulted.

According to the report, Israel broached the idea at a conference in Washington at the beginning of the year. Israel suggested establishing the farm in Sinai, where a much larger facility could be built, but Egypt refused.

The report on the solar farm joins others that indicate that the economic situation in Gaza is becoming more of an issue. A report on Hadashot News said that Israel was considering establishing a seaport in Cyprus to allow for easier shipping of goods to Gaza. Under the plan, a special dock would be set up to handle shipments to Gaza. The shipments would be inspected by international officials, and the ships carrying inspected goods would be allowed to dock in Gaza to unload their merchandise. Hadashot News reported that Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman had broached the idea with Cypriot officials on his recent visit to the island.

Last week Haaretz reported that the Trump administration was seeking to raise as much as a billion dollars from Gulf Arab countries for the economic development of Gaza. At a press conference, a State Department representative declined to confirm the story when asked, the report said.