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Hamas slams Gaza donors conference

— Photo: AFP

Flattened: A house destroyed during Israel’s 22-day offensive in Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip.

DUBAI: The Palestinian group Hamas has slammed the Gaza donors conference being held at the Egyptian resort of Sharm-el-Sheikh for the reconstruction of the war-ravaged coastal strip.

Commenting on the decision of the organisers not to invite Hamas, Youssef Rizqa, political adviser to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, said on Sunday the conference should have invited the true elected representative of the Palestinian people. Hamas won the 2006 parliamentary elections by a wide margin, but was disallowed from running a government mainly due to western pressures. Hamas and Israel fought a bitter 22-day war in Gaza, which led to more than 1,300 Palestinian deaths.

Dr. Rizqa said in a statement the conference would take decisions whose value would be more theoretical than practical. Nearly 75 countries and organisations, including the West Asia quartet comprising the U.S., European Union, Russia and the U.N. participated in Monday’s deliberations. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on her maiden visit to West Asia, arrived at the Egyptian resort on Sunday.

During her address at the conference, Ms. Clinton pledged funds above $900 million for Palestinians. She also stressed that Washington’s financial support for Gaza was part of larger effort to achieve regional peace. “Our response to today’s crisis in Gaza cannot be separated from our broader efforts to achieve a comprehensive peace,” she observed.

Earlier, the U.S. announced that Hamas would not benefit from U.S. aid. “Hamas is not getting any of this money,” said spokesman for U.S. State department Robert Wood. The aid for Gaza would be routed through the United Nations.

According to Al Jazeera television, donors will be asked to fund the $2.8-billion reconstruction plan developed by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Part of the aid meant to fund other activities such as rebuilding of homes would go directly to the bank accounts of Gaza citizens.

Saudi Arabia has already promised $1 billion for Gaza’s reconstruction.

Six countries belonging to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including Saudi Arabia, have decided to pledge $1.65 billion for the reconstruction of the coastal strip. Syria, a key Hamas supporter, has been invited to the conference.

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