In the wake of $5.4 billion in pledges, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called yesterday’s conference in Cairo for rebuilding Gaza a “great success.” Qatar pledged $1 billion, while Secretary of State John Kerry said that the United States would pledge $212 million and the European Union pledged over $500 million. However, only half of the pledges are actually designated for rebuilding buildings damaged in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge, during which Hamas fired over 4500 rockets into Israel.
The Palestinian leader made it clear that the funds, of which $2.7 billion are intended to rebuild war-torn Gaza, will go straight to the PA and not to any other Palestinian groups.
Abbas told Egyptian reporters that he does not expect Hamas to launch another conflict with Israel because the organization doesn’t have the ability to do so. He also suggested that the demilitarization of Gaza, which has been a key demand of Israel, will only happen after the planned general elections for a new Palestinian government, although a date for the vote has not yet been set.
The failure of Abbas to commit to demilitarizing Gaza is a significant omission. In an analysis written ahead of the donor conference, Neri Zilber, a visiting scholar at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, noted that “the Cairo summit needs to reemphasize that reconstruction aid and a full-scale lifting of the blockade around Gaza remain contingent on Hamas ceding effective control over the territory back to the Palestinian Authority.”
Specifically, Zilber wrote:
The idea needs to be reinforced that the only legitimate conduit for the opening and rehabilitation of Gaza is the PA, and not a terrorist group like Hamas. The group’s rejectionism and violence cannot be rewarded with billions of dollars in international aid, especially after it launched a devastating and needless war just three months ago.
Almost as important, officials at the conference need to make clear that there will be repercussions if Hamas violates the postwar reconstruction regime — whether by diverting dual-use items from legitimate construction projects, tampering with the operations of UN inspectors or staff, or using violent means to coerce returning PA forces or harass Israel. The people of Gaza need to know ahead of time that the obstacle to a better and more hopeful future is Hamas, and that the solution is the PA. If this latest donor conference for Gaza is to be the last, then it has to mark the beginning of the end of Hamas rule over their lives.
Abbas’ failure to commit to disarming Hamas and taking control of Gaza means that Hamas may very well benefit from billions in aid with no accountability.
[Photo: euronews (in English) / YouTube ]