Palestinian president asks world leaders for Gaza aid

SHARM EL-SHEIK – The Palestinian president, seeking to shore up his position against rival Hamas, asked international donors yesterday to funnel millions of dollars through his government to rebuild the devastated Gaza Strip.

The donors’ conference gathered the presidents of Egypt and France, the UN chief and top diplomats from 45 nations – including Hillary Rodham Clinton in her first Mideast trip as US Secretary of State. It’s a high-profile attempt to show international support for reconstruction after Israel’s crippling offensive against Hamas.The gathering aims to raise at least $2.8 billion from 80 donor nations and international organisations. Donor nations hope that a show of cash will boost chances for resuming the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.But control of the funds is a key question. The international community refuses to negotiate with Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers, considered a terrorist group by the United States and Israel. Hamas was not invited to the conference in this Red Sea resort.But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ government, based in the West Bank, has little presence in Gaza after being driven out by Hamas in 2007.Arab Gulf nations – including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait – pledged $1.6 billion, but bypassed both Hamas and Abbas. The Gulf nations said in a statement they would set up a joint office in Gaza to carry out reconstruction on their own, deciding on projects and implementing them.With the move, Gulf countries may be trying to signal to Hamas that Gulf nations are not favouring Abbas, hoping to encourage the militant group to moderate and reconcile with his Palestinian Authority.Clinton was bringing a US pledge of about $300 million in humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip, as well as $600 million in assistance to Abbas’ Palestinian Authority.The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, is expected to give $554 million to the Palestinians for 2009, of which about half is expected to go to Gaza.Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned in opening remarks to the gathering that the donors’ pledges should not be treated as ‘spoils of war’ – a message to rival Palestinian factions not to squabble over the funds.He also said reconstruction will depend on reaching a long-term truce between Hamas and Israel, which Egypt is trying to mediate, and the opening up of Gaza’s border crossings, which have been largely closed since Hamas took over the territory.UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged donors to give, telling the conference he had visited Gaza and seen with his ‘own eyes the agony of the people’ there.Some 1 300 Palestinians – at least half of them civilians – and 13 Israelis died in the three-week offensive Israel said was meant to halt militant rockets.More than 4 000 homes were destroyed and more than 11,500 damaged in the offensive, according to a reconstruction plan prepared by Abbas’ prime minister, Salam Fayyad. Fixing the damage to homes and infrastructure will cost $501 million.Hamas spokesmen Fawzi Barhoum sought to dispel fears his group was trying to grab funds but also said they shouldn’t be channelled through Abbas.He said on Monday from Gaza that Hamas welcomes ‘any effort to help … rebuild this area after the mass destruction caused by the Zionist war machine’ and called on the conference in Egypt to work out a ‘meaningful mechanisms to transfer the funds to the Palestinian people directly, without going into the internal Palestinian political differences.’ – Nampa-AP