No reconstruction in Gaza before inter-reconciliation

Special Report: Palestine-IsraelConflicts　

by Saud Abu Ramadan

GAZA, March 4 (Chinese media) -- If the Palestinian factions, mainly rival Fatah and Islamic Hamas movements don't agree soon on forming a new national unity government, it may be very difficult for the Palestinians to get the international donation of around 5 billion U.S. dollars to reconstruct the Gaza Strip.

This week, there were two major dramatic events: Palestinian factions reached a deal on forming five reconciliation committees that will start meeting in Cairo on March 10 to form a unity government. A Gaza reconstruction conference was held in Egypt on Monday.

The international Quartet of the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia has conditioned that any new national-unity Palestinian government is formed, it should abide by its requirements, which are, recognizing Israel, the signed peace treaties and condemn violence.

But when Hamas leaders heard the in-advance conditions, they immediately announced their rejection again by saying "whatever happens, Hamas would never recognized Israel."

The United States and the European Union are still listing Hamas among the world's groups of terrorism. New U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who met with Israeli leaders on Tuesday, said "Hamas and (Lebanese) Hezbollah are terrorist groups."

In a statement, Hamas spokesman in Gaza Fawzi Barhoum denounced that the Quartet demands are "blackmailing Hamas movement and the armed resistance. Instead of asking the executioner to stop its aggression, they ask the victim to recognize it, this is really unfair."

After Hamas won the parliamentary elections in 2006 and ousted its rival Fatah movement from the Gaza Strip, the international Quartet refused to recognize the two governments headed by Hamas.

An embargo was also imposed on the movement, while Israel tightened its blockade on the Hamas stronghold Gaza Strip.

"I believe that renewing the Quartet's terms would again complicate the situation and bring the Palestinians back to the first quarter, back to years ago. I think nothing will be achieved except more disagreements and more violence," said Shihada el-Hares, a Palestinian political observer in Gaza.

El-Hares believed that the only solution to get out of this cycle of crisis "is to go for early presidential and parliamentary elections, then the Quartet has to respect the results and deal with any party that wins in the coming elections, whether it is Fatah or Hamas."

The Quartet's preconditions might also have an impact on the preparations for the Palestinian inter-dialogue, while five committees had already been formed and a ten-day talks will be kicked off in Cairo on March 10.

"Money talks. It's not a joke, it is five billion dollars donated by the international community, and I think both Hamas and Fatah have no other choice, but to find a way to end their disputes," said Hassan el-Dayya, a Palestinian student, who studies business administration in a Gaza college

He added that they have to agree on forming an interim technocrat government that will be accepted by the world, and its aim is to rule Gaza and the West Bank for the coming nine months until new elections are held."

Acting Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has urged Palestinian factions and the international community not to politicize the question of reconstructing the Gaza Strip, which is the only side that suffers from such crisis and disagreements either among the Palestinians or between Hamas and the world.

President Abbas had repeatedly announced that he would prefer to forming a Palestinian government that recognize the principle of the two-state solution and be committed to the PLO interim peace treaties it had signed with Israel.

Abbas' statements blow up a first political crisis with Hamas before the actual dialogue starts. Hamas lawmaker in Gaza Mushir el-Masri warned of imposing any conditions on the inter-dialogue before it starts, adding that Hamas considers the dialogue and succeeding it "as a strategic goal for the movement."

Azzam el-Ahmed, head of Fatah parliamentary block in the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) said in a statement that no one can be able to judge whether the dialogue on March 10 would succeed or fail, asking all parties to wait and help to make the dialogue successful to achieve its goals.

"What the Palestinians are concerned about is that if the factions fail to agree on forming a government that will be accepted by the world, who will be responsible for taking Gaza donations to reconstruct what the Israeli occupation had destroyed," said el-Dayya.