We can expect a meeting today in Cairo to produce millions and millions of dollars to help rebuild Gaza. But is that the right thing to do while Israel and Hamas continue to exchange fire? Should the world be concentrating on the establishing which, if any, of the two carried out war crimes? And do you object to so many countries being so ready to pay to repair the damage caused by Israeli rockets?
16 Responses to “Should we help to rebuild Gaza while there’s no peace?”
Leave a Reply
Everything WHYS
- We're live at 1800GMT every weekday.
RSS feed
BBC World Have Your Say 
Israel should be paying for 100% of the damage, since they were the ones who caused so much damage through excessive force.
Why should we pay for it ?
@Tony: ‘we’ in cases like this usually means the West. I agree with you that it’s not for us to take on responsibility for re-building Gaza (but, given their habitual policy of appeasement towards the Muslim world, expect most of the donors to be from the West).
But why should Israel pay a penny? Hamas provoked the conflict, and the Palestinians elected Hamas with their eyes open. The Palestinians have deservedly paid the price for their own folly and irresponsibility.
And what’s the point in re-building today when that same folly and irresponsibility may lead to things being destroyed again tomorrow? They are their own worst enemies.
Let the Muslim world show that its concern for the Palestinians isn’t just cheap and convenient rhetoric: put your hands in your pockets and fund the re-building of Gaza.
I don’t think we should help (the U.S.A.), because if we do, thats like saying what they are doing in Gaza to Israel is ok. I say leave them to themselves.
-Anthony, LA, CA
P.S.@ Tony
Israel shouldn’t have to play one sheqel, I shouldn’t have to pay for someones hospital bill when they are hitting me, and hitting me, and hitting me, and then I strike back a beat the snot out of him.
Israel is in violation of numerous international laws, is occupying Arab land, is forbidding the refugees their right to return, has illegal settlements and outposts on Arab land and is illegally blockading the land, air and seas of Gaza. The international community and the UN created this problem and have failed to take any remedial action for the past 60years. The recent war crimes in Gaza will just be added to the long list of Israeli crimes and no action will be taken again.
Who rebuilds Gaza is not the issue. The real issue is who will uphold justice and international law and end the occupation of Palestine and allow the refugees to go home? Without justice, there cannot be peace.
NO WAY why should we it will be the same and NOTHING WITH CHANGE. Just another county wanting a Hand out. By the way when Clinton visits over there PLEASE keep her IF YOU want.
Following the international pledge of funds for the rebuild of Gaza; Hilary Clintons’ press conference was most enlightening. One of the correspondents asked whether she would be speaking to Hammas. She replied; “Hammas is not a nation, Hammas is a ……..(then there was a long pause. Total silence, while everyone waited with bated breath. Was she going to say ‘Hammas is a political party’, or ‘Hammas is a democratically elected goverment’, or ‘Hammas is a terrorist organisation’, not at all. After considerable thought she continued)……..Hammas is an ENTITY!. Presumably the USA doesn’t speak with entities.
In 1949 Winston Churchill was asked whether we ought to recognise Communist China. He replied;” Recognition is not necessarily an act of approval…..One has to recognise lots of things and People….that one does not like. The reason for having diplomatic relations is not to confer a compliment, but to secure a convenience.”
The USA has never been reknowned for diplomacy but they do have a very long history of giving money and weapons to the wrong people and then having to go back and clear up their mess.
The only way peace will come to the Palestinians is to give them a sense of self respect – how can that happen when they are a people grown up on handouts. They are given billions and billions and yet they dont produce anything apart from Terror.
Build. Each hour is long for a child stunned by war.
Why doesn’t Israel try being nice to the Palestinians! Much harder to bomb people when they are being nice to you!
No good the West rebuilding if Israel is going to blow it all up again when it feels like it.
The Palestinians feel trapped, no wonder they feel frustrated and lob off a pathetic rocket or two. The Jews in Warsaw would have done the same if they had had the chance when they were hemmed in.
Open the borders, educate the children, help rebuild, grow roses, be nice to one another.
We are all humans and we share one planet. We are all God’s chosen people and deserve to live in a civilized way. Walls, tanks and borders are not civilized!
Gaza is the world’s disgrace disgrace and we should all grow up and put it right! Now!
well
it is better to open the corssings between Gaza and the Wrodl, and disarm Israel to prevent it from destroying Gaza again. or distroying any other neighbor country
the Muslims countries already paid what is needed to rebuild Gaza, it is Israel supported by the West that prevent the Muslims from entring the needed supplies to Gaza
I don’t want one single cent of my taxes going to bankroll the gaza terrorists.
The people of Gaza keep on being suckered by their muslim “friends” in Iran and elsewhere – its a perpetual game called “Let’s you and him fight”.
They have brought this on themselves – its time for them to grow up and face their responsibilities.
I think that rebuilding Gaza while there is no long-term peace programme, is a waste of money…
~Dennis Junior~
Israel should be paying for the havoc they wreaked on the Gazans.
The way the “West” doles out aid is political. It is supporting the Israeli genocide by stating that the funds must go through the Palestinian Authority, which is a corrupt regime — a fact that brought about the election of Hamas in the first place.
Shame on Israel! Boycott Israeli products. Apartheid was not good for South Africa and it’s not good for Israel/Palestine.
There will never be any peace in Gaza as long as AIPAC and the Isreal Lobby control the U.S. Congress. The Lobby had the U.S. Congress to declare Hamas a terrorist organization even though Hamas never assulted any U.S. property in interests.
Hamas learned all its “Bad Habbits” from Isreali History: The Terroristic tactics of Bagin, Irgun and the Stern Gang, as well as blowing up the Palestine Hotel and killing British soldiers and booby trapping their dead bodies to kill their rescuers earned the Isreali terrorist a state. If Hamas follows the Isreali rules on nationhood/statehood they will indeed need no Two State Solution.
Give the Gazans the promised $4.5Bn. The Isrealis will foment a plan where they can bomb Gaza again and destroy everything. The will reinforce their already harsh Concentration Camp policies on the Gazans and Hamas will react.
But I want to issue a warning: Soon the Arabs will stop hating each other more than they hate the Isrealis and will turn on them in unison and the Isrealis will have to use the bomb. Gaza was the Isrealis first step down a blind ally. Then what?
It is quite obvious that Gaza will have to be rebuilt. Logically it should be with American funds to compensate for its destruction by American weaponry operated with American political backing.
The problems go beyond simple rebuilding, there is a desperate need for all the basic utilities of water, power, sanitation and health. But the single greatest need is for freedom; personal freedom to travel to and from; home, school, hospital and employment. The border crossings have to be opened and road blocks removed.
The firework rockets despatched from Gaza into Israel are not a genuine threat, they are a gesture of defiance in the same way that the arab teenagers and schoolboys throw stones at tanks. Israeli politicians are not worried by those primitive rockets, they welcome them because they provide them with an excuse to claim that their own criminal reprisals are legitimate actions of defence and delay any peace progress whilst yet further “settlements” are constructed or extended.
Disregarding the terrible terrorist acts of the Irgun Zwei Lumi, and let us not forget that their leader was later democratically elected Prime Minister of Israel, the Jewish Nation of Israel was born on a wave of faith,hope and idealism. It is tragic that such a cultured and civilised race has surrendered the moral high ground and allowed themselves to be dragged down into a similar abyss of degradation as that of their former NAZI persecuters.
Hamas was democratically elected in a national poll that was internationally welcomed by all, until they saw the result. The fact that people did not like the result does not alter the legitimacy of the election. Hamas are a fact of life that has to be recognised and accepted. Their claims are just. Someone has to have the common sense to begin listening and recognising them. It seems odd that the Jews who have suffered 2000 years of pogroms from Christianity are now determined to launch another 2000 years with Islam.
Here’s a thought:
People who want to send money to Gaza can just get on and send their own money. But leave me and my taxes out. OK ?