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UN says Gaza reconstruction underway; PA in West Bank Hamas crackdown
The United Nations (UN) confirmed yesterday that a mechanism it agreed with Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) to reconstruct the Gaza Strip has commenced. At the same time, it is reported that the PA has arrested around 250 Islamists, including Hamas activists in the West Bank.
The mechanism was agreed several weeks ago, allowing building materials to enter Gaza without the fear that they would be appropriated by Hamas to build military infrastructure. The trilateral mechanism is designed to facilitate the rebuilding of an estimated 60,000 homes in Gaza which were destroyed during Operation Protective Edge this summer. Last month, Israeli officials said that 600 tons of cement, 10 trucks of metal and 50 trucks of additional building material had entered Gaza via the Kerem Shalom border crossing.
Yesterday, UN Special Coordinator Robert Serry confirmed that these materials have begun to be utilised, helping “some 700 beneficiaries… to purchase much needed construction material in order to start the rehabilitation of their homes after the recent devastating conflict in Gaza.” He urged “that the implementation of the mechanism now be urgently accelerated in order to reach some 60,000 shelters in need of repair.” Serry also said that with the mechanism operational, “it is all the more important for donors to honour their pledges … to fund much needed infrastructure projects.” Last month at a donor conference in Cairo, countries pledged a total of £3.2billion towards Gaza’s recovery.
Meanwhile, a report by Avi Issacharoff in the Times of Israel claims that during the past several weeks, PA forces have arrested around 250 Islamists in the West Bank, including many Hamas activists. The report says that PA officials believe that Hamas has fomented the recent violence in Jerusalem and hopes to spread unrest to the West Bank, even escalating activities against the PA itself. Issacharoff says that despite condemnation of Israel over the Jerusalem violence by PA President Mahmoud Abbas and other officials, the PA is in reality targeting Hamas.