Interview: China always supports Palestine, its cause, says Palestinian envoy

CAIRO, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Ambassador to Cairo Diab al-Louh, also Palestine's delegate to the Arab League, has lauded China for its continuous support to the Palestinian people and their just cause.

"We thank China for its support to the Palestinian people and their just cause," the Palestinian diplomat told Xinhua in a recent interview on the sidelines of the Cairo Construction Hub, a forum focused on rebuilding the war-torn Palestinian enclave of Gaza Strip that kicked off on Thursday.

"We have strong historical relations with China," al-Louh said, noting that China has always stood by the Palestinian people in all international forums.

He added that China has also been supporting the Palestinian economy, with clear fingerprints in the infrastructure of Palestine, whether in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, or Jerusalem.

The Palestinian diplomat expressed hope that China will have a major role in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, pointing out that Beijing always backs friendly countries worldwide.

Egypt brokered a ceasefire on May 20 to end the 11-day fighting between Israel and Gaza's Palestinian militants, which left at least 250 Palestinians and 12 Israelis killed. The Israeli strikes on Gaza during the May 10-21 conflict have reportedly left 1,100 Palestinian housing units wholly destroyed and 900 others either partially damaged or uninhabitable.

Held in the Egyptian capital Cairo, the four-day forum featured a series of events specialized in the discussions of urban development, construction, engineering, architecture, and building materials producers.

"The Gaza Strip is in urgent need for translating the reconstruction initiatives into actions on the ground," al-Louh said.

He expressed the hope that donor countries will contract with local Palestinian companies to revive the economy in Gaza and reduce the unemployment rate there which has reached as high as 50 percent.

"The Palestinian National Authority and the ministries are ready to fully cooperate with all the funding and donor countries to speed up the implementation of the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip," the Palestinian diplomat said.