Israel will seek help from countries including from the Middle East to rebuild Gaza when the conflict against Hamas ends, an effort that may face resistance from regional powers in the absence of a breakthrough in establishing a Palestinian state.
“Right now we’re focusing on winning the war,” Nir Barkat, Israel’s economy and industry minister, said in an interview with Bloomberg in Abu Dhabi. Once it’s over, “we’ll tap into our friends around the world.”
Asked whether Israel would reach out to the United Arab Emirates to fund any reconstruction effort in Gaza, Barkat said it’d likely be on the list of regional neighbors that might be asked for assistance.
“We’re warmly welcomed by all of our neighbors here and the collaboration is healthy because we all want more security,” Barkat said.
He was in the country, of which Abu Dhabi is the capital, for a World Trade Organization meeting.
Senior Gulf officials such as Qatar’s prime minister have previously said financial aid to rebuild Gaza is conditional on progress toward a two-state solution between the Palestinians and Israelis.
Mending Ties
Israel and the UAE established diplomatic ties in 2020 under the US-backed Abraham Accords. The UAE’s stance since then has revolved around maintaining dialog with the Israelis while trying to defend the rights of Palestinians.
Iran-backed Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the US and the European Union, killed 1,200 people and abducted around 250 when its militants rampaged through southern Israel on October 7.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed nearly 30,000 people in Gaza, according to Palestinian health, leading to severe international pressure on Israel to stop the fighting or at least reduce its intensity.
The war’s also caused economic devastation in Gaza, with the World Bank estimating there was a contraction in gross domestic product of more than 80 percent in the fourth quarter.
The next major phase of the campaign may be Israel sending ground forces into the southern Gazan city of Rafah, where more than one million civilians are seeking refuge from the conflict.
An offensive on Rafah “must be done,” said Barkat. “We have to make Hamas surrender.”
With Bloomberg
LINK: https://ara.tv/9kg9a
