The United Nations on Tuesday said that a program to reconstruct Gaza after this summer’s war with Israel has begun, The Associated Press (AP) reports.
Middle East peace process coordinator Robert Serry said the program started Monday with the sale of construction materials to 700 Gaza residents whose homes were damaged.
Palestinian Authority estimates say that as much as $6 billion will be required to repair the damage sustained during the conflict, noted AP.
Serry added that some 60,000 Gaza residences need to be repaired immediately.
The UN envoy said a few months ago that the global body was ready to check imports of construction material sent to Gaza in order to ease Israel’s concerns that supplies could be used to rebuild Hamas tunnels.
“Construction material must be allowed into Gaza to this effect – aggregate, bar and cement. And their access to Gaza must be facilitated in such a way that fulfills Israel’s security concerns,” Serry said at the time. “The United Nations stands ready to lend its support in this regard.
Ample evidence has proven that Hamas uses UN and other aid money, as well as materials, to build terror tunnels to attack Israelis instead of providing municipal buildings to its own citizens.
While Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu originally conditioned the rehabilitation of Gaza on its disarmament, the issue did not come up at a recentinternational donors’ conference on rebuilding Gaza, which was held in Cairo.
Israeli officials admitted that in reality, the rehabilitation of Gaza was not contingent upon its demilitarization but only on a ceasefire, adding that Israel will demand the demilitarization in return for the continued development of the coastal enclave.
Hamas, for its part, has threatened Israel with violence if the rebuildingprocess in Gaza is delayed.
mar55 Said:
Ah, claro que si !
@ honeybee:
EL HOMBRE PROPONE Y D-OS DISPONE.
honeybee Said:
“Man Tracht un Got Lacht” Man plans god laughs”
@ yamit82:
Man proposes, G-D disposes.
@ honeybee:
Foreign policy is the only major function of the presidency that domestic concerns or pressures have little influence over.
Having lost the Senate means that he will be a virtual lame duck for the next two years but foreign policy is an area he can play with without too much interference from congress. He can hold up cooperation with Israel funding and supplies of vital parts and delivers for the IDF. he can withhold vetoes in the UN and other international forums. He can have others like the EU do to Israel what he can’t and do it with his tacit support.
He has had one overriding foreign policy agenda and that was the destruction of Israel or weakening us so that others like Iran can do what he has always desired for us….
It could turn out that now he will be even more determined and dangerous than before the elections last night.
@ yamit82:
@ yamit82:
Obama awoke this morning with more troubles to worry about then Israel.
If Obama’s attempt to coerce Israel into making suicidal unilateral concessions does not belatedly cut the emotional umbilical that binds the Israeli public to dependence upon America, then nothing can…in which case Israel will cease to exist.
But at least there will be one final, deafeningly loud wake-up call.
Israel was forced to back down because Obama wants Hamas to rebuild it’s infrastructure in such a way that it may prevail one day. ISRAEL MUST NOT REMAIN SILENT. IT MUST OBJECT FORCEFULLY AND UNDERTAKE ACTIONS OVERT OR COVERT TO DO WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.NO ONE NEEDS TO TELL THEM WHAT THAT IS ONLY TO DO IT ANS STOP PUSSYFOOTING AROUND.