International Aid to the Gaza under Israeli Conditionalities: Is it Time to Rethink Financing Policies and Mechanisms?

Aids provided to the Gaza Strip under the blockade falls short of meeting basic needs and aspirations of its residents. This paper reviews documents to study the flow of donor-funded aid in the recovery and reconstruction programs of the Gaza Strip. The analysis reveals that donors have not undertaken this assistance in a manner consistent with OECD principles for aid to fragile states, or in keeping with the Palestinian concept of "people-centered development-for-liberation." The results show that one of the reasons for the limited success of aid flows is donor commitment to a "no-contact with Hamas" policy which has severely impeded much-needed communication channels with the de facto government that Hamas represents. In addition, the working of donors under Israeli restrictions has rendered the delivery of aid extremely difficult.

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Abstract

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Aids provided to the Gaza Strip under the blockade falls short of meeting basic needs and aspirations of its residents. This paper reviews documents to study the flow of donor-funded aid in the recovery and reconstruction programs of the Gaza Strip. The analysis reveals that donors have not undertaken this assistance in a manner consistent with OECD principles for aid to fragile states, or in keeping with the Palestinian concept of "people-centered development-for-liberation." The results show that one of the reasons for the limited success of aid flows is donor commitment to a "no-contact with Hamas" policy which has severely impeded much-needed communication channels with the de facto government that Hamas represents. In addition, the working of donors under Israeli restrictions has rendered the delivery of aid extremely difficult.

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