Yasser Arafat International Airport
Yasser Arafat International Airport was an airport in the Gaza Strip. It was located between Rafah and Dahaniya, close to the Egyptian border. The facility was built as a result of the Oslo Accords and opened on 24 November 1998 as Gaza International Airport. It served as the base of Palestinian Airlines. The airport ceased operations in 2001 during the Second Intifada and was renamed in honour of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat following his death in 2004. The Gaza airport was progressively destroyed by Israel during the intifada and later conflicts and by looting.
History
In the Oslo Accords, Israel and the Palestinians agreed to build airports in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. However, the agreements did not contain specifics, such as when the airports would be constructed or how large they would be. The Palestinians began work on a large airport in southern Gaza, which contrasted with the Israelis' expectation of a small facility suited for local flights. It was built with funding from Egypt, Spain, and Germany and was designed by Moroccan architects. The total cost was million. An impasse in the peace negotiations delayed the airport's opening by over a year. In the Wye River Memorandum, Israel permitted operations to begin. The airport was named Gaza International Airport and opened on 24 November 1998; Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat presided over the inauguration ceremony. Palestinian Airlines relocated to Gaza from El Arish, Egypt, and operated the first commercial flight to Amman on 5 December. On 14 December, US president Bill Clinton landed at the airport and took part in a ribbon cutting. At the time, the opening of the airport was described as evidence of progress toward Palestinian statehood and of collaboration between Israelis and Palestinians.The airport was operated by the Palestinian Civil Aviation Authority. Passengers underwent security screening by Israeli soldiers at the Rafah crossing; then they took a bus to the terminal to catch their flight. Work commenced on another terminal called the south wing in 2000. Japan funded the project. The Israelis and Palestinians planned to manage security jointly in the terminal so there would be less of a need for travellers to go to the Rafah crossing.
In 1999, the airport received 90,000 passengers and more than 100 tons of cargo. As of May 2000, Palestinian Airlines linked Gaza to six cities in the region, such as Dubai and Larnaca. In addition, a handful of foreign carriers, including Royal Air Maroc and Air Sinai, served the airport.
Second Intifada
The Second Intifada broke out in September 2000, and the airport saw its last flight depart in 2001. The Israeli military bombed the radar station and bulldozed the runway in December 2001. It broke up the runway again the following month. Israel feared that the Palestinians would use the airport to smuggle in weapons and militants. In March 2002, the International [Civil Aviation Organization] rebuked Israel for the attack on the airport.The facility was renamed for Arafat after he died in 2004. Airport personnel still staffed the ticket counters and baggage areas, hoping to deter looting and further Israeli attacks. Construction of the south wing continued slowly. In November 2005, after the Sharm El Sheikh Summit and Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Israel and the Palestinian Authority signed the Agreement on Movement and Access, in which they agreed to discuss reopening the airport.
Hamas rule in Gaza Strip
The pact became moot due to subsequent events involving Hamas. In 2006, the organisation won the Palestinian legislative election and kidnapped an Israeli soldier. The latter incident sparked a conflict during which Israel bombed the airport. Buildings like the south wing, which was nearing completion, were damaged. Palestinian officials stopped protecting the airport. Hamas took over the Gaza Strip the following year, and the Israelis continued to shell the airport during wars with the group.People stole equipment from the site. They also chipped away the runway and terminal to obtain rubble; the Israeli blockade of Gaza had resulted in a shortage of building materials.