Media coverage
Handelsblatt · 2021-05-27
Pierre Heumann for Handelsblatt on Egypt’s mediation after the May 2021 war. “The Palestinian economist Omar Shaban”, head of Pal-Think in Gaza City, puts the damage of the 11-day war at about $1 billion and says reconstruction fails not for lack of money but over political problems, because donors want guarantees against renewed violence.
Pierre Heumann for Handelsblatt on Egypt’s mediation after the May 2021 war. “The Palestinian economist Omar Shaban”, head of Pal-Think in Gaza City, puts the damage of the 11-day war at about $1 billion and says reconstruction fails not for lack of money but over political problems, because donors…
A long-term ceasefire is intended to make the reconstruction of the region possible.
Tel Aviv. In the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, Egypt wants to mediate: according to Israeli media, Cairo is inviting both parties to talks. In the capital, they are to negotiate the terms of a long-term ceasefire. Without an agreement, the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip would be at risk. Jerusalem has not yet commented on the invitation.
The damage caused by the most recent eleven-day war between Israelis and Palestinians is estimated by the Palestinian economist Omar Shaban at around one billion dollars.
There would be enough money for reconstruction. Qatar and Egypt have already each pledged 500 million dollars for reconstruction, the United States has so far promised around 360 million dollars, and Washington also intends to transfer a further 32 million dollars to UN refugee aid. The EU wants to provide eight million euros to the poorest people in the Gaza Strip. Since January, its aid to Gaza has thus risen to 34 million euros.
Reconstruction is therefore not failing because of money, but rather because of numerous political problems, says Shaban, who heads the think tank Pal-Think for Strategic Studies in Gaza City. The donor countries insist on a guarantee that such violent clashes will not occur again.
Text © Handelsblatt — archived here with attribution to the source. — Machine translation for archival reference. — Original source