Understanding the Gaza donor conference in Egypt

March 2, 1:20 PMForeign Policy ExaminerAimee Kligman

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This may be a difficult proposition, but pehaps someone can explain the effectiveness oft this conference in bringing about the desired peace in the Middle East, and the formation of a two-state solution.

Granted, this is not what the Gaza Donor's Conference is about. So, we throw some numbers around, especially in this globally bankrupt society of ours. Pledges of a total US$4.4 billion have been made by the more than 70 countries attending for the reconstruction of the devastated Gaza strip following the Israeli attack which began at the end of December 2008. What does this mean for the Gazan citizen exactly? Will he/she be able to move about freely, find medical assistance when needed, find groceries without having to dig tunnels to get them from Egypt, go to school without having to fear cluster bombs dropping nearby? Yes, what does it mean exactly?

Secretary of State Clinton pledged US$900 million dollars ($300 as direct aid to Gaza and $600 to the PA), but with a laundry list of conditions. Where is the smart diplomacy here, when it has been said by experts visiting the region, time and again, that there can be no peace agreement without the involvement of Hamas? Ok, Hamas was not invited, but we know from reading the news, that everyone has been having backdoor meetings with Hamas about peace. Prior to her leaving for the Egypt conference, we were hearing about Secretary Clinton getting angry with Israel because they were not allowing humanitarian aid into the strip.

In making the pledge for assistance, Clinton said that the money would be channeled through 'our partners' (read Abbas' Fatah Party) and that the United States was in the region to pursue peace on several fronts. How is this being planned with a future prime minister that does not accept a two-state solution? She did say time was of the essence and that this was a time  for looking ahead, and not for recrimination. (It's a rephrasing of one of President Obama's favorite retorts when confronted with injurious practices of the past). The stance is that Hamas is a terrorist organization and it needs to recognize Israel's right to exist. I'd like to pause for a moment, and say, what is gained by Hamas' recognition, or non-recognition? Does that make Israel a lesser state than it actually is?

The only hope at this point is that a unity government beween Fatah and Hamas comes to fruition. That said, the party doesn't end here. With all that has been proposed by heads of states, including an invitation by President Sarkozy to have a follow up meeting on this issue in Paris in April, no one at the conference mentioned the humanitarian disaster that left Gaza in shambles. It's as if the money was being donated to some 'abstraction' and that real people had not died, nor had they been attacked with weapons that were deemed illegal. There's a problem with this approach.

As Mubarak opened the conference, he stated that 'the aggression against Gaza should not divert international attention from the Palestinian cause, and he called on the new Israeli government to respond positively to the Arab peace initiative.'

Whatever moneys are channeled for the rebuilding of the Gaza area, how will reconstruction be implemented if Israel refuses to allow materials like cement and concrete into the strip? Pasta has just been added to the list of dangerous materials entering Gaza.

The US, so far, has had little or no success in pressuring Israel to reopen the borders, and without open borders, no reconstruction or a return to 'normal life' can be anticipated by Gazans. And with Tzipi Livni's refusal to join Netanyahu's government, he will most likely have to form an all-right wing coalition. Secretary of State Clinton apparently did much better in Asia.

It remains to be seen what will happen when she travels to Jerusalem after the conference.

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