Media coverage
Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (Germany) · 2015-12
The reconstruction of the Gaza Strip has begun, but progress is extremely slow, with only 2 percent of the needed materials entering Gaza over the previous three months. The piece sharply criticizes the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM), explains that building materials currently come from Israeli companies, and argues that the local population and civil society are largely excluded from the process. It warns that if reconstruction and Palestinian reconciliation fail to advance, the risk of another war will remain high.
The reconstruction of the Gaza Strip has begun, but progress is extremely slow, with only 2 percent of the needed materials entering Gaza over the previous three months. The piece sharply criticizes the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM), explains that building materials currently come from Israel…
Reconstruction of the Gaza Strip has begun, but progress is very slow. What has happened so far, and where do you see the greatest challenges?
In the last three months, only two percent of the materials needed for reconstruction have been delivered to Gaza. That is far too little to deal with the enormous humanitarian catastrophe caused by the war. The biggest obstacle is the reconstruction mechanism itself (Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism – GRM), which was developed by the UN to monitor the handling of imported construction materials. This mechanism is heavily criticized by local and international actors and even by the Palestinian Authority. According to estimates by the aid organization Oxfam, if reconstruction were to continue in this way, it would take 20 years.
Where do the construction materials come from, and which companies are involved in the reconstruction?
At present, all materials for reconstruction come from Israeli companies, mostly from Nesher, the largest cement producer in Israel. It is assumed that more than 65 percent of the aid funds pledged for reconstruction will ultimately benefit the Israeli economy. On the Palestinian side, deliveries into the Gaza Strip are handled solely by Sanad, the commercial arm of the Palestine Investment Fund (PIF). I have heard that Sanad charges fees for every ton of cement and steel, but there is no precise information about the amount of these fees. Smaller construction projects, such as rebuilding houses and roads, are carried out by local Palestinian companies, but I assume that at a later stage international firms will be engaged for large-scale projects.
I keep hearing that people in Gaza have to buy the cement they need to repair their homes. What is behind this?
People who need to repair minor damage to their homes have to buy the materials themselves, because on the one hand the aid funds have not yet arrived, and on the other hand the damage is minor. Each sack of cement normally costs 26 NIS (around six euros). But it is said that cement is being sold on the black market for 200 NIS (around 44 euros) per sack. There are several reasons for this: in some cases, people have already repaired the damage to their homes on their own; in other cases, they need additional materials to repair their houses that are either unavailable or unaffordable. Poor people in particular therefore prefer to receive some cash that they urgently need. No one can guarantee that materials sold in this way on the black market will not fall into the hands of militant movements.
How are roles and responsibilities distributed in the reconstruction process?
A key role is played by the UN organization UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services), which is responsible for the entire handling of construction materials, evaluates applicants’ data, and distributes the materials. The Palestinian Ministry of Public Works and Housing is responsible for compiling the damage cases, supported in this by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The Palestinian Ministry of Civil Affairs transmits the names and data of the applicants to UNOPS, which in turn passes them on to the Israeli authorities. The construction materials are supplied by the PIF, or rather Sanad, which purchases them from the Israeli company Nesher, financed by international aid funds. Hamas is not involved in this process.
In conversations, you have repeatedly pointed to the importance of involving the local population as well as civil society actors in the reconstruction process. To what extent is this being taken into account?
Hardly at all. The local population was neither involved in the assessment of the damage nor informed about the findings of the damage assessments. The Palestinian Authority’s reconstruction plans, which were presented at the donor conference in Cairo, were unknown to the local population, and no representatives of Palestinian civil society were invited to the donor conference either. The UN mechanism GRM has sidelined the local population.
Aside from the more technical challenges, where do you see the political implications of reconstruction?
The international community should commit itself clearly and decisively to Gaza; the situation is very dangerous, and the likelihood of a new war is high if there is no progress in the reconciliation process and in reconstruction. The UN mechanism should be ended, and the United Nations should focus on pushing Israel to lift the blockade instead of regulating it, as is currently the case. On the Palestinian side, the unity government should become operational in Gaza. What is happening to the people in Gaza is a great disgrace. Gaza can no longer endure the aggression and indifference shown by the UN, the international community, and the Arab states. What is happening in Gaza is a disgrace to humanity: seven years of blockade, three wars, high unemployment and poverty, restricted freedom of movement, fragmentation, polluted drinking water, radicalism, frustration, a future without hope. Hopefully 2015 will be a better year!
The questions were asked by Katja Hermann, head of the Palestine Regional Office of the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation in Ramallah.
Text © Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (Germany) — archived here with attribution to the source. — Machine translation for archival reference. — Original source