World Bank: Countries’ Donations to Gaza Far Behind Pledges

It appears that the world really does not care much about Gaza or the Palestinians who live there since most of the pledges made to rehabilitate the coastal enclave after its 2014 war against Israel have gone unfulfilled.

The World Bank said less than half the money pledged by donors to rebuild the Gaza Strip after Israel’s counterterrorism operation against Hamas in the summer of 2014 has been disbursed.

The shortfall is among several reasons the Palestinian economy is stagnating, with unemployment at 42 percent in Hamas-ruled Gaza.

The World Bank said Wednesday Israeli restrictions are also limiting Palestinian economic competitiveness and driving away private investments. Israel has placed restrictions on imports to Gaza and other economic bans in an attempt to thwart Hamas’ attempts to build its military might, which it will use again against Israel.

For instance, the import of the cement and other construction items into Gaza is subject to heavy regulation by the IDF and Israel’s security establishment because Hamas uses these materials to build their terror infrastructure, specifically their terror tunnels.

The bank recommends Israel loosen its blockade of Gaza, and Israel has already alleviated or annulled many of the restrictions, even at certain risk to its security.

The bank also called on the Palestinian Authority (PA) to cut spending, especially by reducing pension payments.

The report released Thursday will be delivered to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, a forum of donors to the Palestinian Authority, in New York next week.

Several countries, and primarily Arab ones, have pledged $5.4 billion to help rebuild Gaza.

Qatar, Hamas’ primary benefactor, promised $1 billion; Saudi Arabia pledged $500 million; Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) pledged $200 million each, and the United States and European Union declared a combined $780-million support package in various forms of assistance.

Officials have stated in the past that the Arab countries have been among the worst at following through with their commitments.

By: AP and United with Israel Staff