By Tom Brennan
Nations pledging financial support should learn from Israel’s experience before investing billions in a risky venture.
A world conference has been meeting to discuss rebuilding Gaza. World leaders would be wise to learn from Israel about the risk of investing billions in an unreliable government with a terrorist element. The Palestinian Authority is maintaining that its own conditions must be met to rebuild Gaza.So far several billions have been pledged to the rebuilding. Yet, how does anyone know that the funds will rebuild Gaza’s infrastructure and not the tunnels and restock the deadly rockets? Can anyone trust a government shared with an avowed terrorist group that has declared in its own documents its goal of eliminating Israel and the Jewish people? In simple English, who can be that deluded?
Although President Mahmoud Abbas has pledged to keep Gaza peaceful, rebuilding an area governed in part by Hamas without an enforceable treaty or agreement and penalties for noncompliance is an irresponsible act by those funding it. Abbas has said publicly that he would work to keep things quiet for a year or two while the rebuilding is in progress. But no one is saying what happens after that. Hamas has admitted that they still have intact tunnels and plan to rebuild new ones. They are also back in the rocket business and nothing has changed their plans. What good is it to commit almost $6b when it could all be wasted or stolen by a world certified terrorist group.
If the Palestinian Authority wants to be granted nationhood by the world, it should being acting like one. Treaties to keep the peace, acknowledge the right of Israel to exist and defend itself and its Jewish, Arab and Christian citizens and residents, international agreements to keep funds out of the hands of Hamas and Hezbollah and a responsible government are essential. Without these guarantees by the Palestinian Authority any funds pledged to rebuilding Gaza are a waste of money. Treaties and commitments cannot be made by governments that will not back them up. With Hamas committed to maintaining a state of war against Israel, the Palestinian Authority cannot be trusted to expend the pledged funds on rebuilding the infrastructure of Gaza. As long as Hamas maintains its stance on Israel no funds should be transferred. To resupply Hamas war effort is irrational and those nations involved should realize that.
Israel was excluded form the process of planning the funding of Gaza’s reconstruction. Not only is this spiteful but foolhardy. Israel has seen a constant stream of attacks from Hamas and responded to protect its citizens. Those nations which blindly fund an alleged reconstruction of an aggressive party such as Hamas’ war industry are making themselves accessories and accomplices in terrorism. Citizens of those nations pledging funds to this proposed reconstruction should question their respective governments as to whether their money, raised through taxes and fees on themselves, should be expended in enabling terrorism by a group even their own governments consider an aggressor.
Support for Israel in this important time and situation is essential. Will Hamas continue to siphon off funds to be used to rebuild the lives of the innocent citizens of Gaza into their war plans? Pressure on the Palestinian Authority by governments pledging funds is needed to develop lasting a peace in the region. Christians need to let their representatives know what they feel and press them for answers. Peace can only come when Gaza is not a place to make war.
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