By Zhang Hua
More than three weeks of Israeli military offensive against the Gaza Strip have caused severe humanitarian crisis and extensive infrastructure damage. Now with a ceasefire in place, the Palestinians and the international community are concentrating on the enclave's reconstruction.
Initial statistics from the Palestinian side put the damage at a hefty 2 billion U.S. dollars. Moreover, given the rifts inside the Palestinian state, friction among the Arab world and Israel's intention to deter a Hamas comeback, analysts believe the reconstruction process will be no easy job for all the parties involved as well as the international community.
No agreed financial support from Arab world
At the recent first Arab economic summit, Arab leaders unanimously called for continuing financial and technical support for rebuilding the besieged Gaza. However, the final declaration stopped short of mentioning a highly-expected Arab fund worth of 2 billion dollars for the reconstruction process, disappointing Saudi Arabia, the only country which contributed 1 billion dollars to the fund.
Arab countries have been mired in deep rifts over how to address the Gaza crisis, with some nations calling for tough actions while others opting for a more moderate approach. A divided Arab world cannot speak with one voice, much less take concerted action to assist the Gaza reconstruction.
During a closed-door session on the sidelines of the summit, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari lamented that Arab foreign ministers were "regrettably" unable to reach a common stance due to "the uncompromising stances taken by some countries."
Factional contention inside Palestine
Analysts said that even if the international community is ready to help, who should be the recipient of this assistance will be a tricky problem.
In principle, the Palestinian National Authority, dominated by President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, is the universally acknowledged government in the land and should be the recipient of the assistance. However, there is widespread worry that the Abbas government, which rules only the West Bank and has deep disputes with Hamas, can hardly ensure the fund would be put immediately to Gaza's reconstruction.
The authority was also criticized for its weak response to Israeli offensive, which has let down the Palestinians and the Arab world at large, local media reported.
Meanwhile, Hamas has expressed its strong determination to dominate the reconstruction process.