The question of how to rebuild Gaza holds an obvious amount of complexity and political tension. Looking into information on donors and the international community's commitment to it, it seems that many countries have the means and will to undertake the project, but are still unclear how the planned and funded reconstruction will come to fruition.
As of yet, International donors have pledged 4.5 billion dollars to rebuild the Gaza strip and prop up the Palestinian Authority as a whole. The money (to be spent over the next two years) is intended to repair the damage caused by the Israeli offensive against Hamas militants. According to Egyptian organizers of the fundraising event, "the outcome exceeded their expectations." Leading up to the conference, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas requested three billion dollars in order to make adequate reparations. From the 70 or so countries that made donations to the fund, Saudi Arabia, the United States and the EU promised the most money. Donors insisted that the funds were not to be channelled through Hamas...
However, the United Nations and aid agencies have made frequent statements stating that rebuilding the coastal enclave would be a daunting task so long as border crossings with battered Gaza remained as closed and tight as they are currently. "The situation at the border crossings is intolerable. Aid workers do not have access. Essential commodities cannot get in," UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon told donors at a conference on Gaza in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.
Bringing it all back home, an article from the Jerusalem post states...
"US President Barack Obama and the European Union favour channelling aid through the PA - although the European Commission Representative in Jerusalem, Christian Berger, said the EU was waiting to see the outcome of Egyptian-brokered reconciliation talks between the Palestinian factions. "
In the meantime, International agencies are still assessing the scale of the destruction in preparation for a drive for reconstruction pledges, possibly through the use of NGO's.
But with the international community refusing to deal directly with Hamas, the militant group which controls Gaza, how is the money able to be spent? Whom does the 'international community' direct the multiple-billions to, and who will be heading these initiatives? Palestinians? Humanitarian Aid workers? Israel? I'm not insinuating that the money be filtered throough Hamas, just that this political hairball will be down a lot of throats until it comes close to a solution; which, as usual, seems like a long and difficult hall.
But with the international community refusing to deal directly with Hamas, the militant group which controls Gaza, how is the money able to be spent? Whom does the 'international community' direct the multiple-billions to, and who will be heading these initiatives? Palestinians? Humanitarian Aid workers? Israel? I'm not insinuating that the money be filtered throough Hamas, just that this political hairball will be down a lot of throats until it comes close to a solution; which, as usual, seems like a long and difficult hall.
A few videos on the topic can be found in the links below...
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