The five main European Union countries have lauded Israel’s efforts to help in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip while they protested to the Palestinian Authority over its failure to aid the process.
According to daily Haaretz, the Israeli efforts to help the Gaza Strip with a series of measures were recognised by the consul generals from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain during a meeting last week with Alon Ushpiz, a senior official the Israeli foreign ministry.
"The European representatives surprisingly praised Israel's actions over the past few months to promote reconstruction in Gaza and ease the humanitarian crisis in the Strip," the paper revealed.
"The Europeans complimented Israel's cooperation with the reconstruction apparatus that the United Nations is operating, Israel's doubling of the water supply to Gaza and the ease on export restrictions from the Gaza Strip to Israel, the West Bank and abroad."
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli body responsible for coordinating movement at the Gaza border crossings, has announced a range of measures during the past several weeks to ease movement in and out of the Gaza Strip and improve the conditions which exist there.
Last week, COGAT said that Israel will double the amount of water it supplies to Gaza after a coastal aquifer had become ineffective. Last month, it increased the number of entry and exit permits to Gaza merchants and it has also facilitated the export of significant Gaza produce to the West Bank, an important market for the Gaza economy.
An unnamed European diplomat said, “The Israelis are removing hurdles and assisting reconstruction. At the same time, reconstruction is still stuck because of the internal fights on the Palestinian side, Egyptian behaviour and failure to deliver funds pledged by the Arab states.”
The five EU countries diplomats also met with representatives of the Palestinian Authority whom they reportedly sharply criticised for their failure to cooperate over efforts to rebuild Gaza.
A diplomat was quoted by Haaretz as saying “continued internal political squabbling between Fatah and Hamas are adversely affecting the humanitarian situation in Gaza.”
The same group of European diplomats also requested that Egypt ease movement at the Rafah border crossing and asked Gulf states to make good on their pledges of aid. Another unnamed European diplomat said, “The Israelis are removing hurdles and assisting reconstruction. At the same time, reconstruction is still stuck because of the internal fights on the Palestinian side, Egyptian behaviour and failure to deliver funds pledged by the Arab states.”
The European representatives also requested that Israel release tax funds it collects on the Palestinian Authority’s behalf, but has frozen is response to the PA’s efforts to target Israelis at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, who is the Coordinator of COGAT, told recently Palestinian daily Al-Quds that Gaza would receive 10 million cubic metres of water, an increase from the current supply of five million.
Gaza receives most of its water from a coastal aquifer, which has been overused and is becoming ineffective. The Israel-Palestinian Joint Water Committee, established as part of the Oslo Accords, is charged with overseeing Israeli water supply to Gaza and West Bank Palestinian territories. However, it has not met for five years and so Mordechai circumvented this framework to speed up the increased Gaza supply.
Last month, COGAT announced that it is easing restrictions on movement in and out of Gaza in order to aid reconstruction following last summer Operation Protective Edge. It increased entry permits for Gaza merchants to the West Bank and Israel from 3,000 to 5,000 a month, while the number of daily exit permits from Gaza to the West Bank and to Israel was doubled. COGAT also ensured the import of 62,000 tons of construction supplies since August.
According to the Bank of Israel, the number of Palestinians working in Israel on both sides of the pre-1967 border had doubled in 2014. In total, 92,000 Palestinians work for Israelis, earning on average 65 per cent more than those working in Palestinian territories. The Bank of Israel attributed the spike in part to increased number of Israeli permits granted.