Rebuilding Gaza a Political Minefield

JERUSALEM, Israel, Jan 29, 2009— -- With much of Gaza lying in ruin, the international community faces both physical and political challenges in the daunting task of its rebuilding.

Millions of dollars of aid needs to be poured into the devastated territory – but the question of who will administer and oversee the reconstruction is not settled.

The three-week-long Israeli bombardment of Gaza did not wrest control of the area from Hamas, the homegrown Islamic group. Its men walk the streets to ensure law and order.

While its policemen patrol bombed-out neighborhoods, its politicians are calling on the world for recognition.

"I tell European nations ... three years of trying to eliminate Hamas is enough," Khaled Meshaal, the group's political leader, said last week in a televised speech from Damascus, the Syrian capital.

"It is time for you to deal with Hamas, which has gained legitimacy through struggle," he said.

Western donors keen to help with the rebuilding refuse to deal with the Hamas government, however. It is considered a terrorist organization by both the European Union and the United States.

They prefer to deal with Mahmoud Abbas, head of rival Palestinian faction Fatah and Palestinian Authority president.

Abbas may be recognized by foreign diplomats as the official voice of the Palestinian community, but his power and popularity at home in the West Bank are dwindling.

Hamas has already begun doing what it can to help the citizens of Gaza, including handing out money to the many people who have lost their homes.

Since the shaky truce took hold Jan. 18, the Hamas leadership, from exile in Damascus and hideout locations in Gaza, has been calling on the international community not to hand construction aid money to what they consider "corrupt" officials in the Palestinian Authority.

"Frankly, we do not trust the authority in Ramallah. I do not think it fair or credible, and therefore we caution against sending monies in a way that they will reach the pockets of officials," Mohammad Nazzal, a Hamas official, was quoted by the Palestinian News Network as saying at talks in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday.