We are ready to start work on the plot in the first half of next year, Palestinian Minister of Transportation Sadi al-Kurunz told reporters in Ramallah.

It would have freight and passenger capacity and be built according to international standards, the minister said.

Kurunz expressed hope that once work starts, international donors will come forward with the 340 million dollars needed for the project.

An airport means sovereignty, freedom, progress and economic development, he said, giving the example of the tourism industry, which would require transportation infrastructure.

The plot of land designated for the project falls in what is known as Area C, a region of the West Bank under full Israeli control...