Report: Israel and 'Palestinians' reach deal over Gaza construction materials
United Nations envoy Robert Serry says that Israel and the 'Palestinians' have reached a deal over the
passage of construction materials into Gaza (Hat Tip:
Gershon D).
Serry told the U.N. Security Council that the United Nations had brokered the deal "to enable work at the scale required in the strip, involving the private sector in Gaza and giving a lead role to the Palestinian Authority in the reconstruction effort, while providing security assurances through U.N. monitoring that these materials will not be diverted from their entirely civilian purpose."
Defense Minister Yaalon has warned that if the materials are used for building terror tunnels,
the transfers will stop immediately.
"Building materials and reconstruction equipment will enter the Gaza
Strip through a mechanism that Coordinator of the
Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) Maj. Gen. Yoav
Mordechai is building, together the with UN envoy Robert Serry and the
Palestinian Authority," Ya'alon added.
But the defense minister warned that "if those materials are
transferred to building tunnels - the transfer will stop immediately."
Of course, the terror tunnels were built from materials that Israel allowed in after the last two Gaza operations (Cast Lead and Pillar of Defense) in 2006 and 2008-09, respectively, and either the IDF didn't pick up on it or decided that they could not stop the materials from being diverted. Why will this time be different? What could go wrong?
Labels: Gaza, Gaza construction, Hamas, Moshe Yaalon, Operation Cast Lead, Operation Pillar of Defense, Operation Protective Edge, Robert Serry, terror tunnels
'Palestinians' seethe: Israeli companies win contracts to reconstruct Gaza
The 'Palestinians' are seething. The United Nations put out contracts to bid to reconstruct Gaza, and
the contracts were won by Israeli companies.
More than three years after Israel inflicted widespread damage on the infrastructure of the Gaza Strip during Operation Cast Lead, an offensive aimed at curtailing relentless Hamas rocket fire into Israel, two Israeli companies won bids issued by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to construct water plants in Gaza, London-based daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported Thursday.
Osama Kahil, deputy head of the Palestinian Contractors Union, told the daily that a number of Israeli companies have contacted contractors in Gaza offering them half of the bids’ revenue to execute the projects.
“It is unreasonable for the Israeli occupation to be rewarded for its destruction of Gaza’s economy,” Kahil told Al-Quds Al-Arabi. “It waged a relentless war on our livelihood, and now our markets are being opened to its companies.”
Kahil said his union sent letters to all contractors in Gaza, warning them against cooperation with Israeli companies.
“A sense of morality and patriotism will not allow anyone to cross these red lines,” he said. The Palestinian Engineers Association also declared that it would “legally and nationally pursue” members who work with Israel.
So who tells them to bid unrealistic prices? Heh.
Labels: Gaza construction
Gaza to open its biggest shopping mall evah!
Would you believe that 'poor,' 'starving' Gaza is about to open an
even bigger shopping mall than the one it
opened last year? From the first link:
The modern three-story complex is the first of its kind in the Palestinian territories, said Ehab al-Issawi, executive director of the Al-Hayat Tureed Company that owns the mall.
He said that the 3,000 square meter shopping mall is located near the Haidar Abdel Shafi Square west of Gaza City.
Issawi told the Palestinian news agency Safa that construction work at the new mall was almost complete. He said that Palestinian engineers and architects have been working on the project since August last year.
Issawi added that despite the shortage of building materials caused by the blockade on the Gaza Strip, the work at the site continued without disruption.
Issawi explained that the first floor would house a huge supermarket that would consist of various departments offering food and household items as well as stationary.
The second floor would have many clothes and gift shops, while the third floor would become home to a large restaurant, a modern coffee shop, a cinema and entertainment sites for children.
Something tells me that cinema won't last too long in Hamastan. The mall is scheduled to open in June.
Labels: Gaza City, Gaza construction, Gaza plenty
Israel trying to stop next flotilla of fools by bargaining with itself
Israel is appealing to the United Nations and to various countries from which 'activists' are likely to depart to stop a repeat of last May's
Mavi Marmara fiasco.
In recent weeks, Jerusalem has engaged in a large-scale diplomatic effort aimed at pressuring heads of states in countries from which ships are expected to sail, to discourage their citizens from taking part. The hope is that such an effort will head off a large-scale "sequel" to last year's flotilla. Furthermore, in the event that another military raid is called for, this time Israel wants to be able to claim that every possible effort was made to stop the ships peaceably.
Among other officials, senior Israeli diplomats have initiated discussions with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, to persuade him to take steps to prevent the departure of the flotilla.
But unfortunately, Israel is also bargaining with itself by opening the Gaza border even more than it is already.
At the same time, security officials are discussing a possible relaxation of the siege on the Gaza Strip. The main advocate of such a move is Maj. Gen. Eitan Dangot, coordinator of government activities in the territories. He believes that loosening restrictions on the entry of goods would be an effective response to allegations that Israel is infringing the basic rights of Gaza residents, and would defuse many of the claims made by the flotilla organizers.
All that's going to do is encourage them even more. After all, if they get something for nothing, imagine what they can get for something.
Israel should cut Gaza off completely until such time as Gilad Shalit is returned. And it should continue to maintain the naval blockade because we have seen even recently that attempts to smuggle weapons into Gaza continue.
Labels: flotilla, Gaza construction, Gaza electricity supply, Gaza plenty, Gaza water supply
Israel has a housing shortage and yet....
Israel has such a severe housing shortage that the government is
cutting prices for certain land tenders - one of its biggest sources of income - by 50% in order to encourage building for first time home buyers.
The government is also allowing 'building materials' to be supplied to another area. From where and at whose costs is unclear. The construction costs will be paid by 'our friends the Saudis' and by UNRWA.
It's for Hamas in Gaza (Hat Tip:
Shy Guy).
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Wednesday reported initial Israeli agreement to facilitate completion of two large housing projects in Gaza, Kuwaiti news agency KUNA reported.
UNRWA said its delegation received the commitment in a meeting Tuesday with the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Major-General Eitan Dangot.
UNRWA media adviser Adnan abu Hasneh told KUNA that Maj.-Gen. Dangot relayed the promise to the delegation, and added that he hoped construction material would be brought into Gaza "quickly" to complete the projects "with all due haste." Abu Hasneh quoted the officer as saying the two projects, one in Khan Younis and the other in Rafiah, would receive "priority."
The projects came to a halt four years ago, after Hamas took over Gaza and Israel imposed a closure on the area. The closure includes a ban on importation of construction material that could also be used for terrorist purposes. This includes cement, steel, and gravel.
According to KUNA, the homes are intended to house "thousands of families whose homes had been destroyed during the Israeli attacks prior to pullout from Gaza."
I hope none of those materials is going to build bunkers for Hamas. Hmmm.
Labels: Gaza construction, our friends the Saudis, UNRWA
