Saudi Arabia, which emerged as the biggest single donor at the international Gaza reconstruction conference here Monday, laid down conditions on how the money would be spent, sought an international guarantee against Israeli destruction of the reconstruction envisaged, and made it clear that “peace, stability and development are intertwined dimensions that cannot be achieved separately. “ “Reconstruction will not be feasible under insecurity and instability, and it is unacceptable and unreasonable to implement reconstruction if Israel then destroys it,” Prince Saud said in his speech to the presidents of Egypt and France, the UN chief, the US Secretary of State, and top diplomats from 45 nations. By the end of the day, international donors pledged a total of $5.2 billion to rebuild the Gaza Strip that was devastated by a 22-day bombardment launched last December by Israeli forces. Saudi Arabia was the biggest single donor, promising $1 billion, followed by the United States, which promised $900 million. The total figure included $4.48 billion in new pledges to the Palestinians, while the rest were pledges that donors recommitted to giving, said Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit. Prince Saud said “Saudi Arabia has set up a mechanism to submit its share via the Saudi Development Fund in cooperation with the Islamic Development Bank and Gaza-based international organizations, to send the required materials, and to choose the projects which will be implemented.” On Sunday, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, which pledged a total of $1.6 billion on Sunday, decided to set up an office in Gaza to carry out reconstruction over five years, by deciding on and implementing projects. “In this context, we hope that the GCC-launched Gaza reconstruction program would contribute to coordination and follow-up of execution by its funded projects,” Prince Saud said. The foreign minister called upon the international community to guarantee the reconstruction effort by making Israel “bear the legal and financial consequences of any aggression, and not to view the situation with double standards.” He said the conference should, with the efforts of the European nations and the US, “draw up the guarantee necessary to ensure the implementation of reconstruction.” Donor support will not be effective unless it is coupled with a strong commitment to the reconstruction program and economic reform, Prince Saud said. To the Palestinian factions he said they must bear their responsibilities and assure the donors that their money would find a stable and proper environment for effective and efficient investment aimed at alleviating the long suffering of Palestinian people. Call to Palestinians Prince Saud called on all Palestinians to overcome their internal differences, focus on their national interests and preserve the national reconciliation agreement achieved last week through successful mediation led by Egypt and involving the Palestinian Authority, Hamas and other Palestinian groups. The foreign minister urged the Palestinians to resort to dialogue to resolve their differences and preserve their unity and independence, stressing that this was the only way for the Palestinian people to achieve their goals and win the support of the international community. “The barbaric and brutal Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has resulted in human tragedies and harsh economic conditions made worse by the Israeli government's arrogance and unfair settlement policies,” Prince Saud said. He said economic development in Palestine has been disrupted by these tragic conditions, which have resulted in the imposition of an unjust blockade and closure of crossings, as well as the continuous confiscation of Palestinian land. “Such coercive actions have made peace a very far-fetched objective and have led to meaningless negotiations in complete contrast with the Oslo and Annapolis conferences.” Describing the situation in Gaza as a “humanitarian disaster”, Prince Saud cited World Bank statistics showing that most Palestinians are now living “below the poverty line with a severe deterioration on both the social and economic levels.” The time has come to help the Palestinians obtain their right to live in peace and prosperity, he said. “If the international community is serious about reaching a just and lasting peace, it has to provide all the necessary backing to the peace process so that the Palestinian Authority effectively deals with the enormous burden placed on its shoulders,” Prince Saud said. Referring to the Arab peace initiative launched in 2002, Prince Saud recalled the words of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, from his speech at the Arab economic summit in Kuwait earlier this year: “Peace will not be always available and that the Arab peace initiative will not remain on the table forever.” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in her speech also linked aid to Gaza to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. “Our response to today's crisis in Gaza cannot be separated from our broader efforts to achieve a comprehensive peace,” Clinton said. “By providing humanitarian assistance to Gaza, we also aim to foster conditions in which a Palestinian state can be fully realized,” she said. The United States wants “a state that is a responsible partner, is at peace with Israel and its Arab neighbors and is accountable to its people, a state that Palestinians everywhere can be proud of and is respected worldwide.” She said the US administration will work with President Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad of the Palestinian Authority (PA), to address humanitarian, budgetary, security and infrastructure needs, and “to ensure that our funding is only used where and for whom it is intended and does not end up in the wrong hands.” Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned in opening remarks that the donors' pledges should not be treated as “spoils of war” – a message to the rival Palestinian factions not to squabble over the funds. He also said reconstruction will depend on reaching long-term truce between Hamas and Israel, which Egypt is trying to mediate, and the opening up of Gaza's border crossings, which have been largely closed since Hamas took over the territory. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged donors to give, telling the conference he had visited Gaza and seen with his “own eyes the agony of the people” there. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said “responsible Palestinians” should seek peace with Israel and said a prisoner exchange by Hamas to release Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, held by Gaza militants since June 2006, “is a priority.” Israel has demanded Schalit's release as part of any truce deal. “You must admit that there is no other road to the creation of a Palestinian state but to engage resolutely in searching for a political solution and engage in a dialogue with Israel,” Sarkozy said in a clear message to Hamas. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband warned “there will be only limited physical reconstruction without political reconstruction” and stressed that Palestinians “need a single government across the Occupied Territories” – a direct appeal for rival Palestinian factions to hammer out a unity government. Abbas asked participants to adopt Fayyad's reconstruction plan, describing it as a “national comprehensive development plan” and promised the reconstruction would be based on “transparency and justice.” Fayyad has prepared a 53-page plan for the donors, including detailed damage assessments. For example, fixing war damage to infrastructure and homes would cost $501 million, according to the plan, which says 4,036 homes were destroyed and 11,514 damaged. Hamas was not invited to the conference. But Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum sought to dispel fears his group was trying to grab funds but also said they shouldn't be channeled through Abbas. He said on Monday from Gaza that Hamas welcomes “any effort to help ... rebuild this area after the mass destruction caused by the Zionist war machine” and called on the conference in Egypt to work out a “meaningful mechanisms to transfer the funds to the Palestinian people directly, without going into the internal Palestinian political differences.” Fayyad said that with open borders and sufficient aid, reconstruction could begin in six weeks.
