Gaza port launched in 2000 gets a fresh lease at truce talks

[GAZA STRIP] An unmarked dirt lot about the size of a football field, on a cliff above the crashing waves of the Mediterranean, could be a crucial element in ending the month-long battle between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip.

It was here that a European contractor began building a commercial seaport back in July 2000, only to have its work destroyed by Israeli tanks and bombs within three months. Now, Palestinian leaders trying to negotiate terms in Cairo for a durable truce have made the revival of the seaport project a prime demand.

The port has become the embodiment of Palestinian aspirations to break the siege of Gaza, at once an icon of independence and a potential economic engine that would reduce the territory's reliance on increasingly hostile neighbours.