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Gaza recovery in doubt as Israel pressures Hamas
Fri Jan 23, 2009 2:00pm EST
By Adam Entous and Nidal al-Mughrabi
GAZA (Reuters) - Israel on Friday dismissed international calls for
a full reopening of border crossings with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip,
leaving a shaky ceasefire and post-war reconstruction in doubt.
While a U.N. official praised Israel's "goodwill" for letting 120
truckloads per day of food and medicine into Gaza, other diplomats
decried restrictions on steel and cement imports needed to make repairs
after Israel's 22-day offensive.
Israel also blocked the Western-backed Palestinian Authority from
sending cash to Gaza, despite international warnings that President
Mahmoud Abbas's standing was at stake.
"They are afraid it will go to Hamas," a senior Western diplomat
said of the cash. Barring a swift change in Israeli policy, the
diplomat said the emergency response and long-term reconstruction were
"bound to fail."
U.S. officials voiced support, under certain conditions, for opening the
crossings more fully, but they set no timetable.
John Ging, who heads the operations of the United Nations Relief and
Works Agency in the Gaza Strip, said the end-result of Israel's war,
which killed 1,300 Palestinians and injured more than 5,000 others, was
"more extremists."
Hamas has conditioned abiding by the ceasefire, which took effect on Sunday, on
Israel lifting its crippling blockade.
But a top adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert appeared to
rule that out. "If opening the passages will strengthen Hamas, we won't
do it," he said.
Israel believes the restrictions at the crossings will give it
leverage in Egyptian-mediated negotiations with Hamas to free Gilad
Shalit, a captured Israeli soldier.
But Israel finds itself under increasing pressure to do more to ease hardships
for Gaza's 1.5 million residents.
U.S. President Barack Obama said on Thursday Gaza's border crossings
should be reopened to both humanitarian and commercial goods under a
"monitoring regime" that includes Abbas's Palestinian Authority,
Hamas's rival.
Obama plans to dispatch his Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, to
the region soon to try to shore up the ceasefire, which Israel declared
after Washington promised to help prevent Islamist Hamas from rearming.
The new administration has met with skepticism from Hamas, which won
a 2006 Palestinian ballot only to be shunned by the West for refusing
to renounce violence and recognize Israel. The isolation deepened when
Hamas routed Abbas's secular Fatah to take over Gaza 18 months later.
Obama on Thursday said an outline for a "durable ceasefire" included
Hamas stopping cross-border rocket fire, which Israel had cited as the
reason for its Gaza offensive. He also voiced sorrow at civilian
suffering in the impoverished territory.
"We had expected Obama to express willingness to talk about the real
and the democratically elected representatives of the Palestinian
people," said Hamas official Mushir al-Masri.
He urged the new U.S. president to "stand at an equal distance in
the Palestinian-Zionist conflict, and break with the flagrant American
historical bias."
Hamas dispatched a three-man delegation to Cairo for ceasefire
talks. Israel's envoy, defense official Amos Gilad, held talks there on
Thursday.
Western diplomats said a humanitarian aid coordination conference
for Gaza would be held around February 12 in Egypt but would not deal
with long-term reconstruction. Another meeting of major powers and
donors was slated for late February, they said.
HAMAS CHIEFS HIDE
Reeling from an air-and-ground assault which wrecked Gaza's
infrastructure, Palestinians gathered for weekly prayers on Friday as
Hamas security forces led clean-up efforts.
Conspicuous by their absence were Hamas chiefs who remained in
hiding out of concern Israel may try to assassinate them. Two of the
faction's seven top Gaza leaders were killed by air strikes during the
offensive.
Despite assertions by Israeli leaders that Hamas had been dealt a
serious blow, nearly three out of four Israelis expected more violence
to break out in the next year or two, according to a poll in the Maariv
newspaper.
Diplomats said the Israeli restrictions and Palestinian infighting meant even
modest repairs would be difficult to make.
Hamas still controls the Gaza Strip and plans to start distributing
up to 4,000 euros ($5,000) in cash to families hard hit by Israel's
offensive.
But the Palestinian Authority under Abbas and Prime Minister Salam
Fayyad wants to take the lead in any rebuilding, prompting calls for
formation of a unity government.
Israeli officials have ruled out dealing with such a government
unless Hamas abandons its rejection of coexistence with the Jewish
state.
Olmert's adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity, said cement
and steel, which could be used by militants to build rockets and
bunkers, were not immediate priorities and would have to wait.
Diplomats said that means Gaza's badly-damaged sewage and water system
would have a hard time recovering.
Palestinian Water Authority chief Rebhi al-Sheikh said it would take
at least six months to bring in the needed equipment and complete
repairs, but he expressed confidence international aid organizations
would prevail on Israel to cooperate.
"Pipes can be used for many things," an Israeli official said when
asked about importing them to repair the water system. As for the $60
million in cash Abbas wants to send to Gaza, he added: "We assume
whatever cash goes in will be expropriated."
(Additional reporting by Douglas Hamilton in Gaza; Editing by Giles Elgood)
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