White House convenes donor Nations for Gaza Conference

[Solomon2]

White House Convenes Donor Nations for Gaza Conference
The White House is convening international donor nations to discuss the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, seeking "fresh thinking and a commitment to action" following a roadside bombing that struck the convoy of the Palestinian prime minister.


March 13, 2018, at 2:00 p.m.

White House Convenes Donor Nations for Gaza Conference

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BY KEN THOMAS, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is convening international donor nations to discuss the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, seeking "fresh thinking and a commitment to action" following a roadside bombing that struck the convoy of the Palestinian prime minister.

White House envoy Jason Greenblatt said Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority should not be deterred by the attack on the convoy of Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in Gaza.

The Palestinians are boycotting the meeting following President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Greenblatt says he regrets that the Palestinian Authority is not attending the meeting, adding, "This is not about politics."

The White House has been seeking to restart peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, and the conference aims to address the humanitarian challenges in Gaza.

 

[Solomon2]

Gaza aid conference convenes at White House with Israel, without Palestinian Authority
By Marcy Oster and Ron KampeasMarch 13, 2018 2:35pm

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The human suffering in the Gaza Strip has grown over the past year, top U.S. Middle East negotiator Jason Greenblatt told a conference to discuss aid for the coastal strip that did not include the Palestinian Authority.

Representatives of nearly two dozen countries and international organizations gathered Tuesday at the White House for the meeting.

Greenblatt said that in Gaza, poverty and food insecurity are growing, electricity is scarce and contaminated water is a danger. He said he would present the assembly with proposals to alleviate the suffering in Gaza.

“We asked you here because we believe we can do much better – we must do much better,” he said.

The Palestinian Authority, the international representative of the Palestinians, is boycotting the conference over the Trump administration’s recognition in December of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Gaza is controlled by Hamas, which is designated by the State Department as a terrorist organization.

“We regret that the Palestinian Authority is not here with us today,” Greenblatt said. “This is not about politics. This is about the health, safety and happiness of the people of Gaza, and of all Palestinians, Israelis and Egyptians.”

UNRWA, the U.N. relief agency charged with delivering aid to Palestinian refugees and their descendants, and the preeminent relief provider in Gaza, was not invited to the meeting since it is aimed at donors and countries in the region, a Trump administration official said. Jordan, Sweden and Egypt will host a separate meeting on Thursday in Rome specifically relating to UNRWA, according to the official, who said the U.S. plans to participate in that meeting as well.

Elizabeth Campbell, the director of UNRWA’s Washington office, told JTA that the participants were missing an important perspective without her agency at the table.

“UNRWA continues to be the primary actor in Gaza and has some of the best data, relationships and experience, and if you’re looking at development it makes sense to have UNRWA represented,” she said in an interview.

Campbell said one measure the Trump administration could take immediately was to restore UNRWA funding. Trump froze some funding earlier this year because the Palestinians backed away from talks on restarting the peace process.

“We’re going to see an already dramatic situation get much worse,” she said. The Trump administration froze $65 million in transfers, but allowed $60 million to go through. The United States transferred $360 million to UNRWA last year.

Representatives of Israel and its neighbors Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates were among the meeting participants. Qatar, which has been involved in attempts to better the lives of Palestinians in Gaza, and which is being shunned by key U.S. ally Saudi Arabia, also attended.

The full list of participants: Bahrain, Canada, Cyprus, Egypt, the European Union, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, the Middle East Quartet, Qatar, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United Nations. The Quartet is the grouping of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations that helps shepherd negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Greenblatt called on all parties in attendance to “leave all politics at the door” in order to “concentrate on realistic and practical solutions to the problems we are here to address.”

He said it was key to consider the security needs of Gaza’s neighbors, especially considering that it was controlled by Hamas, a terrorist group.

“We all know that none of this will be easy,” Greenblatt said. “And everything we do must be done in a way that ensures we do not put the security of Israelis and Egyptians at risk – and that we do not inadvertently empower Hamas, which bears responsibility for Gaza’s suffering. But the situation today in Gaza is unacceptable, and spiraling downwards.

“An essential part of achieving a comprehensive peace agreement between Israelis and Palestinians, including those in the West Bank and Gaza, will be resolving the situation in Gaza.

The meeting was first announced in a Greenblatt op-ed appearing March 8 in The Washington Post.

 

[Solomon2]

Israel sits alongside Arab states at White House Gaza summit
03/13/2018

11:50:23 AM
UPDATED ON
03/13/2018

11:56:42 AM
Written by
i24NEWS

In this Monday, June 20, 2016 photo, Palestinian children play among discarded vehicles in el-Zohor slum, on the outskirts of Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip.

AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra
The Palestinian Authority declined an invitation to the summit
A White House "brainstorming session" to be held Tuesday on alleviating the acute humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip will see Israeli officials sit alongside those from key Arab states including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Gaza is home to roughly 1.8 million Palestinians with spotty access to electricity, potable water and food, and labors under both infighting between Islamist Hamas and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, as well as a partial Israeli economic blockade.

The White House on Tuesday unveiled the attendance list for the summit, which includes rich donor countries as well as regional powers Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain -- none of whom have diplomatic ties with Israel, whose representatives will also be in attendance.

"I am so glad that all of you have put tensions aside to try to help -- we should all be proud of that and build on that," President Donald Trump's peace envoy Jason Greenblatt said in his opening remarks, according to text released by the White House.

"We all know that none of this will be easy," he added, "everything we do must be done in a way that ensures we do not put the security of Israelis and Egyptians at risk -- and that we do not inadvertently empower Hamas, which bears responsibility for Gaza’s suffering."

American Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, center, Jared Kushner, left, and Jason Greenblatt, listen as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during a Security Council meeting on the situation in Palestine, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018.
AP Photo/Mary Altaffer


"But the situation today in Gaza is unacceptable, and spiraling downwards."

Greenblatt -- who alongside Jared Kushner was tasked by Trump with finding a way to resume stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks -- said "we regret" that the Palestinian Authority boycotted the meeting.

A reconciliation deal between the PA and Hamas thrashed out in the final months of 2017 has fizzled, and was dealt another blow on Tuesday when an explosion rocked the convoy of PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah as he entered Gaza.

A statement on official Palestinian media said PA President Mahmoud Abbas considered the incident a "cowardly targeting" of Hamdallah's convoy meant to scupper attempts to achieve Palestinian unity, adding that Abbas held Hamas responsible.

Other countries present on Tuesday include Canada, Germany, Egypt, Japan, Jordan, Oman and the United Kingdom.

Israel and Qatar's co-operation on humanitarian and reconstruction work in Gaza was revealedearlier this year in a series of interviews by a Qatari diplomat who said he had visited Israel on some 20 occasions for that purpose.

“When you want to do work in Gaza, you have to go through the Israelis,” Mohammed Al-Emadi, head of Qatar’s Gaza reconstruction committee, said during an interview with the Associated Press.

“Without the help of Israel, nothing happens,” he said.

 

[El Sidd]

Awww cute kissing cousins

Not kosher bro
Not kosher

 

[Solomon2]

Awww cute kissing cousins

Not kosher bro
Not kosher

Pakistan has to divorce itself from its subordinate marriage to the "Palestinian cause". Only then can it embrace humanity over hatred.

 

[El Sidd]

Pakistan has to divorce itself from its subordinate marriage to the "Palestinian cause". Only then can it embrace humanity over hatred.

Palestinian cause is intertwined with the Kashmiri cause.

A two state solution however can be discussed.

 

[GBU-28]

Palestinian cause is intertwined with the Kashmiri cause.

A two state solution however can be discussed.

I've never heard a palestinian talk about Kashmir.

 

[El Sidd]

I've never heard a palestinian talk about Kashmir.

Oh nooo
I feel so hurt now

The offer is simple. Bring forth the King of Israelites from the lineage of David and you will be recognized. Till then Israel is an illegal entity.

End of discussion.

 

[hussain0216]

The U.S has proven itself a dishonest peace broker, what it says is worthless

 

[GBU-28]

Oh nooo
I feel so hurt now

The offer is simple. Bring forth the King of Israelites from the lineage of David and you will be recognized. Till then Israel is an illegal entity.

End of discussion.

Pakistan is just greater India. That's how I view it. Kashmir is Indian of course.

 

[El Sidd]

Pakistan is just greater India. That's how I view it. Kashmir is Indian of course.

I am sure you wont change your opinion for 12 pieces of silver

 

[GBU-28]

I am sure you wont change your opinion for 12 pieces of silver

I'll only change my mind when you bring forth the king of the Pakistanis. Until then it's just an illegal entity carved out of India.

 

[hussain0216]

Pakistan is just greater India. That's how I view it. Kashmir is Indian of course.

Yeah we have to live with pagans because jews want it

 

[El Sidd]

I'll only change my mind when you bring forth the king of the Pakistanis. Until then it's just an illegal entity carved out of India.

We do not have a monarchy.

Try the Berber kings of Morroco

 

[Solomon2]

I've never heard a palestinian talk about Kashmir.

That's because the "Kashmir = Palestine" formula is a staple of Pakistan's Foreign Office, not the Arabs': link

While it seems there's an anti-Israel resolution almost every day at the U.N. there hasn't been one on Kashmir in over fifty years. So Pakistan's F.O. is looking to piggyback on the "Palestinians" apparent success as a means to keep the Kashmir issue alive in international forums.

That Kashmir and Palestine have quite different legal backgrounds and histories is ignored by Pakistan's policymakers but not by the international community. Thus Pakistan's attempts to conflate the two are sometimes a matter of embarrassment to Pakistani diplomats.