Trump’s Gaza board reports funding ‘gap’, urges quicker disbursement

GENEVA/TEL AVIV – The gap between funding pledges and disbursement for Mr Donald Trump’s Gaza rebuilding plan must be closed urgently, the US President’s Board of Peace has said in a report, identifying a potential cash crunch in a plan estimated to cost US$70 billion (S$89.6 billion).

Mr Trump set up the Board of Peace to oversee his ambitious plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza and rebuild the shattered territory. He has said it would also tackle other conflicts.

The UN Security Council has recognised the board, though many major powers have not joined Washington’s main Middle Eastern allies and some middling and smaller states in signing up.

Reuters reported in April that the board had received only a small fraction of the US$17 billion pledged by members for Gaza, preventing the President from moving ahead with his plan.

The board denied that report, saying in a statement it was an “execution-focused organisation that calls capital as needed” and that there “are no funding constraints”.

The money is meant to pay for reconstruction and fund the activities of a new US-backed transitional Gaza government.

Appeal for quicker disbursement

In a May 15 report to the United Nations Security Council, viewed by Reuters on May 18, the board said that “the gap between commitment and disbursement must be closed with urgency”.

It added: “Funds committed but not yet disbursed represent the difference between a framework that exists on paper and one that delivers on the ground for the people of Gaza.”

The board called on countries that signed up for Mr Trump’s board and others to make contributions without delay, and urged “those member states that have made pledges to accelerate disbursement processes”.

The report did not say how much money it had received or how big the gap was, though it said that the amount pledged remained US$17 billion.

The Board of Peace did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar are among states to have pledged funds to the board.

Others include Morocco, Uzbekistan and Kuwait.

Gaza’s reconstruction after more than 2½ years of Israeli bombardment is expected to cost more than US$70 billion.

It is a key element of Mr Trump’s plan for Gaza’s future, but it has been held up as the plan has appeared to stall.

Despite an October ceasefire, Hamas is refusing to lay down its weapons and Israel has kept troops in a large swathe of Gaza while continuing to conduct air strikes.

In its report, the board said that 85 per cent of Gaza buildings and infrastructure had been destroyed and that an estimated 70 million tonnes of rubble would need to be cleared.

Reuters reported on May 15 that the US was considering asking Israel to give some tax money it is withholding from the Palestinian Authority to the Board of Peace to fund reconstruction.

Many states are hesitant to finance Gaza’s reconstruction through Mr Trump’s board over transparency and oversight concerns and would rather fund efforts through traditional institutions like the UN, European and Asian officials say.

Under the board’s charter, member states would be limited to three-year terms unless they pay US$1 billion each to fund the board’s activities and earn permanent membership.

It is unclear whether any state has paid the fee. REUTERS