Sec. of State Hillary Clinton has pledged some $900 million for the reconstruction of Gaza. Oh, and by the way, not a penny of it will go to Hamas, which rules Gaza. Right.
In fact, Hamas will get a big portion of the $900 million, and so will other enemies of peace. Thats because the Bush administration, and now the Obama administration following in its wake, have constructed this huge myth of this huge distinction between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority. Hamas is terrorist, the PA is moderate; more precisely, Hamas is corrupt, the PA is not. Have American leaders forgotten so quickly the billions of dollars that various countries funnelled to the PA, only to see it disappear in some mysterious sinkhole?
Supposedly, the PA is now reformed and responsible. Not so reformed and responsible, however, that its budget actually goes toward building things and supplying things. Not so. Most of the PA budget simply pays salaries to Palestinians, who perform no work for them. There is virtually no economy under the Palestinian Authority. So, suddenly the PA will receive $900 million and know what to do with it? Suddenly, baksheesh, which has governed the Palestinian mentality for generations, will disappear? Even if not a single cent goes to Hamas, most of this $900 million will not go for any constructive let alone construction purpose.
Even if the PA were not corrupt, and also were competent, just who is going to keep this $900 million out of Hamas hands? Just which people in Gaza are going to receive this reconstruction money? Virtually everyone there supports Hamas. These funds, even if they dont end up in Hamas political or terrorism accounts a very iffy proposition will still build Hamas. Thats what Gaza is.
Which brings us to the second myth that both Bush and Obama have embraced: a huge distinction between the Hamas leadership in Gaza and a supposedly neutral, oppressed, victimized populace of Gaza. Actually, the populace supports Hamas. The populace of Gaza votes for Hamas. The populace supplies the suicide bombers and the rocket makers. The populace is anti-Semitic, opposed to Israel and to Jews. This is written all over the media of Gaza. So even if, by some sleight of hand, not a single Hamas leader were to receive a single American dollar for the reconstruction of Gaza, the reconstruction itself is a direct benefit to the leaders and the followers of Hamas, alike.
Or perhaps Hillary Clinton thinks the UN in Gaza could effectively use this $900 million right, the same UN that keeps Palestinians oppressed in refugee camps, two generations after the real refugees existed; the same UN that has Hamas supporters on its payroll; the same UN that has not rebuilt the Palestinian economy in 61 years, despite unlimited resources to do so.
The only way to reconstruct Gaza effectively is to deconstruct Hamas there. That will not come about through the unity of the PA and Hamas, but through the unbending rejection of Hamas commitment to destroy Israel. At base, the problem in Gaza is not economic, though it surely suffers economically and reconstruction is surely needed. At base, the problem in Gaza is ideological. It is still shooting rockets at southern Israel. It still denies Israel the right to exist. Money cannot solve that problem. Hillary Clinton and her boss ought to know better.
The real solution in Gaza is to eradicate its current curricula and media, which preach anti-Semitism, preach death to Israel, and praise martyrdom (i.e., murder). Without a change in the ideas in Gaza, any change in the infrastructure there will bring not one scintilla of peace.
