A Palestinian official has condemned reported U.S. plans to secure funding from Persian Gulf states for major economic projects in the blockaded, impoverished Gaza Strip.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, claimed Monday that such efforts aim to further distance the Gaza Strip, ruled by Hamas, from the West Bank, ruled by Abbas' Fatah. The rival factions have been at odds since Hamas violently routed Fatah from Gaza in 2007.
Facing hostility from Gaza, Israel has prevented most travel between Gaza and the West Bank for security reasons.
U.S. President Donald Trump's adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner is expected to visit Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia this week to discuss the situation in Gaza and present the administration's proposals for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.
Abbas severed contact with the U.S. administration in December to protest what he says are its blatantly pro-Israel policies, chiefly Trump's official recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. The Palestinians envision parts of Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.
