As Gaza’s rebuilding progresses at a very slow pace, Minister Naftali Bennett calls for creative initiatives to defuse the Gaza time bomb.

Israeli Minister of Education Naftali Bennett, who is perceived as a hawk on the Israeli political scene, has called for Israel to lead an international coalition to rebuild Gaza in exchange for a long-term ceasefire.

In an interview with Israel’s Channel 2 aired on Saturday, Bennett said it was time for Israel to change its policies regarding Gaza. “We should initiate an international process of Gaza’s civilian rehabilitation in exchange for the halting of its [military] buildup.”

Until Israel decides on a complete military recapture of the Strip and the replacement of Hamas rule, it must apply a more practical policy in the enclave, he explained. “I am not taking that option [military conquest] off the table, but at this stage I oppose it. It is nice for everyone [Palestinian Authority and Egypt] that we are skirmishing with Hamas. But the reality is that Hamas is there.”

“We have a big interest in Gaza’s civilian rehabilitation,” Bennett stated. “There are creative ways of tying it in with the halting of the [terror] tunnel digging and the [military] buildup.” For example, he believes that Hamas would stop the building of its terror infrastructure in exchange for “limitless” rice entering Gaza.

“I am using common sense,” he continued. “I view reality as it is. If we come to a point when we decide to collapse Hamas’ rule – we can do that, and that time may have come. As long as that has not happened we need to show initiative.”

Gaza Rebuilding at a ‘Snail’s Pace’

In the meantime, Gaza’s rebuilding after Operation Protective Edge is moving at “snail’s pace,” and at this rate, it would likely take 30 years to rebuild the extensive damage from last summer’s war, a senior UN official said last week.

Roberto Valent, the incoming chief of the Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People under the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), blamed the delays on the slow flow of promised foreign aid and continued Israeli curbs on the entry of building material to Gaza.

After last year’s 50-day war, Israel allowed the import of cement and steel under UN supervision in order to ensure the materials would not be diverted by Hamas for the rebuilding of terror bases and digging of terror tunnels which the IDF destroyed during Operation Protective Edge.

Valent told the Associated Press on Wednesday that the system is too slow and that Israel must open Gaza’s borders to allow for the speedy rebuilding or repair of 141,000 homes.

“The housing stock is being reconstructed at such a snail’s pace,” he said. Easing access is not enough and “the real solution is the lifting of restrictions.”

Israel says the system is working, but that construction materials must be closely monitored, arguing that Hamas is again digging smuggling tunnels for which it needs cement and steel.

During the 2014 war, Israeli troops discovered more than 30 tunnels under or near the Israel-Gaza border, including some used by terrorists to infiltrate into Israel.

In New York, UN political chief Jeffrey Feltman told the Security Council on Wednesday that the pace of reconstruction “remains far too slow,” but that the UN-supervised system has been vital for getting building materials into Gaza. He said close to 90,000 homeowners have received construction materials for repairs and that 135 construction projects out of 202 submitted were approved by Israel.

Critics of the reconstruction efforts note that not a single home has been rebuilt, which raises questions on where the cement ended up. Feltman said the construction of 16,000 homes is expected to begin shortly.

He appealed to donors to send promised aid. Otherwise, money will run out by September, he said.

Donor countries have pledged $5.4 billion in aid, including for Gaza reconstruction, but Palestinian officials say they received only a fraction so far.

Israeli officials say they permitted about 1.3 million tons to enter Gaza since September

Work has begun on repairing 840 of the severely damaged homes. This, Valent said, “is a drop in the ocean.”

By: United with Israel Staff and AP