Ovadia Eli, chairman of the Israel Airport Authority (IAA), said last week that the Israel Airport Authority was considering building a joint Israeli-Palestinian airport on Poleg beach, south of the Israeli town of Netanya.
Mr. Eli says the airport would be jointly managed by both Israel and the Palestinian authorities, with access to the West Bank provided by a tunnel.
Former British Prime Minister and current Quartet envoy Tony Blair was named by Eli as a participant in the project.
The idea, as quoted by Eli, would see an airport under joint administration between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli administration. For Palestinian access there would be a tunnel linking the airport to the West Bank as Netanya is a city within Israeli boundaries which most Palestinians cannot access.
“This would be a confidence-building measure that would enable international fund-raising. There are high-level talks on both sides and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is also involved in the matter,” says Eli.
The chairman says that a joint venture would eliminate competition over airspace that might arise if the Palestinian Authority built its own airport.
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