The reconstruction of Gaza after the 50 day war with Israel will cost $7.8 billion, according to a Palestinian report published Thursday.
At the same time, the Ma’an news agency quoted Minister of Labor Mamoun Abu Shahla who said 100, 000 jobs could be created in Gaza if Israel kept its promise to end the siege on the strip by the end of this month.
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All they have to do is get over the impulse to shoot Jews. Is it that much to ask?
The a Palestinian Authority’s Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction, which oversees the implementation of donor-financed projects, said the process would take “five years if Israel removed its blockade over Gaza entirely.”
Blockade – desperate attempt to check Arab violence, tomato-tomato.
It is estimated that Gaza sustained direct losses to the tune of $4.4 billion. The rest of the cost, $3.02 billion, will cover development projects Gaza wants, including a harbor and a water desalination plant.
Desalination – that’s Israeli technology. So everybody will make a buck.
The 200-page report recommends that to ensure a smoothly run rebuilding, Israel must completely lift the eight-year old siege and allow Gazans freedom of movement in and out of Israel, Egypt, the Mediterranean, the works.
Wait, was there a reason Israel imposed those limits on the Gazan’s freedom of movement? It’s so blurry now… Something about suicide bombers, mortar shells and rockets shot into Israeli civilian populations, and the newly discovered terror tunnels. Could that be the reason?
According to the reoport, more than 60, 000 housing units were damaged, at the cost of $1.38 billion. That makes the average cost of each unit $23, 000. If it sounds arbitrary it’s because it is. To offset that freshly-pulled-out-of-a-hat feeling, the report also suggests that the estimated 2.2 million tons of debris left from the destruction of buildings could be used to help the rebuilding projects, including a plan to expand the Gaza territory into the sea.
If you don’t let us out, we’ll pave our own way to Europe kind of thing.
According to Ma’an, a conference of international donors for the reconstruction of Gaza is set to take place later in the month in either Egypt or Norway. It’s doubtful Israel will be invited.
Whichever country they finally hold this donors meet, they should take a day and visit the pyramids. Before the Hamas digs a tunnel under them.
