Biden-Harris Administration Continues To Want Anyone But Israel To Pay For Reconstruction Of Gaza. Would Harris-? Administration Or Trump-Vance Administration Share That Opinion?
Biden-Harris Administration Continues To Want Anyone But Israel To Pay For Reconstruction Of Gaza.
Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State
Aspen Security Forum
Aspen, Colorado
19 July 2024
QUESTION: Netanyahu will be in D.C. on Monday. What’s your big ask of him? What would count as a successful visit?
SECRETARY BLINKEN: Well, I think we need to make sure of two things. We, of course, want to bring this agreement over the finish line. But while that’s necessary, it’s also not enough, because what’s critical once we get it, assuming we do, is to make sure that there’s a clear plan for what follows – the so-called day-after plan. But – because what we can’t have is this. What we can’t have is an agreement that’s followed by some kind of void that will either be filled, if it’s there, by Hamas coming back, which is unacceptable; by Israel prolonging its occupation, which they say they don’t want to do and is unacceptable; or just having a vacuum that’s filled by lawlessness, that’s filled by chaos, which we see in so many parts of Gaza right now, which is also inimical to actually helping people who desperately need it. So making sure that we have a plan in place, which we’ve been working on also every single day – with Arab partners, with Israel, with many others for governance, for security, for humanitarian assistance, for reconstruction – that’s critical. And I imagine the discussions with the prime minister will center around that. Emphasis added.
United States Department of State
Washington DC
22 July 2024
Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Kaag
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke today with UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag. Secretary Blinken reviewed ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve the ceasefire endorsed by the United Nations Security Council in resolution 2735 and emphasized the important role of the United Nations in surging humanitarian assistance as part of the implementation of any agreement. He and Coordinator Kaag discussed steps to address acute food insecurity, alleviate strained health services, and improve access to clean water. They reiterated the importance of protecting civilians and humanitarian personnel. The Secretary expressed the United States’ continued support for the Coordinator’s mandate, including as it pertains to leading UN planning for early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza.
The New York Times: American officials have suggested that the Palestinian Authority should play a central role in governing a postwar Gaza, which would most likely require approval from Hamas. And a growing number of Palestinians have argued that Fatah and Hamas need to find common ground to advance the reconstruction of Gaza when the war ends, though many are pessimistic about the prospect. “There’s still a major divide between Hamas and Fatah, but there’s an absolute necessity that they achieve a national consensus for the administration of Gaza,” said Ibrahim Dalalsha, director of the Horizon Center, a Palestinian political research group. “In the absence of that, there will be a huge tragedy.” Hamas officials have expressed willingness to give up civilian control of Gaza, handing responsibility for rebuilding the enclave to a government of independents, but it has ruled out dismantling its military wing. United Nations officials have estimated that rebuilding Gaza will cost tens of billions of dollars. Many countries have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization, restricting their ability to work with any institutions linked to the group. Creating a Gaza government without formal ties to Hamas could make it easier for the United States, European nations and international organizations to participate in rebuilding.
Voice of America: UN: Reconstructing Gaza could cost $50 billion. The United Nations said Thursday that the war in the Gaza Strip has set back development there by 40 years, and that rebuilding will cost billions of dollars over many years. “An early recovery program for three years to bring back hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to temporary shelters in their original locations with comprehensive community support, will cost between $2-3 billion,” said Abdallah Al Dardari, director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States at the U.N. Development Program (UNDP). “The overall reconstruction of Gaza today according to our estimate will be between $40-50 billion, at least.” Dardari spoke to reporters from Amman, Jordan, where he launched an updated UNDP report on expected socioeconomic impacts of the war between Israel and Hamas, which hits the seven-month mark on Tuesday. The conflict has taken a toll on Palestinian lives, with more than 34,000 killed and nearly 78,000 injured to date, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. By mid-April, UNDP says deaths and injuries amounted to at least 5% of Gaza’s population. During the October 7 Hamas terror attacks inside Israel, at least 1,200 people were killed and 250 others kidnapped. More than 30 of those still in captivity are believed to be dead. The fighting has leveled much of Gaza, damaging or destroying some 370,000 housing units and 9% of commercial properties. UNDP says even in its best-case scenario it would take 16 years — until 2040 — to reconstruct the destroyed homes, without repairing the damaged ones. If reconstruction timelines follow the same pattern as after the 2014 and 2021 wars between Hamas and Israel, the report says, Gaza would need approximately 80 years to restore the destroyed homes. Dardari said 40 years of development gains in Gaza have been lost, amounting to an investment of nearly $50 billion. “That means that the levels of education and literacy will be affected dramatically at the end of this conflict,” he said. “But more dangerously, in our analysis, the impact of the conflict will stay with us for a long time, unless we quickly address temporary schooling, temporary health care, psycho-social support to the population, and bringing back basic services like water, sanitation, and electricity.” While every Palestinian has been affected in some way by the conflict, the report found that the middle class has been most affected. If the war continues until July, it would bring a large part of the middle class below the poverty line, increasing the total number of Palestinians pushed into poverty to 3.32 million — or just over 60% of the population. Palestinian GDP has also suffered dramatically since the war started, declining 25% — or nearly $7 billion. Dardari said that could reach 29% if the war continues into July.
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