Gaza donor summit underscores political significance

 The international donor conference held Sunday in Cairo raised 5.4 billion U.S. dollars for the construction of the Gaza Strip, which was devastated by a 51-day Israeli strike.
Although the sum went beyond the aspired 4 billion U.S. dollars, the conference had more political implication than its economic significance for Gaza.
"The economic dimension of the conference is important, yet the political dimension is more important," Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Araby told Xinhua on the sidelines of the conference.
The high-level participation shows that the international community feels responsible not only for Gaza reconstruction but also for ending the Israeli occupation, he said.
The political dimension of the donor conference was also raised by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who said that the event shouldn't be about "just money but a renewed commitment from everybody to work for peace and meet the aspirations of all."
Nasser al-Lahham, editor-in-chief of Palestinian Maan News Agency, said that although it looks economic, "the conference shows an international political front against Israeli occupation and in support of the Palestinian people," describing the funds raised for Gaza reconstruction as "political money."
Lahham told Xinhua that the political message sent by the international event is much stronger than the financial dimension of the conference.
"It sends another message for the Palestinians, particularly the people of Gaza, that the international community will not leave them alone under the mercy of hunger, poverty and destruction," he said.
The Cairo donor conference for Gaza came a few days after the national unity government under President Mahmoud Abbas took control over the Hamas-ruled Gaza enclave as part of their inter-Palestinian reconciliation agreement.
Lahham expressed his belief that the conference is a kind of "political reward" for Abbas for forming the national unity government and making it in control of Gaza.
Egypt has recently brokered a comprehensive truce between the Palestinians and Israel after a 51-day Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip that left more than 2,000 Palestinians killed, 11,000 others wounded and over 100,000 homeless, while Hamas attacks killed at least 73 Israelis.
Another political dimension of the Gaza donor conference is that it helps Egypt gradually restore its regional influence that declined after years of political turmoil.
Experts believe that the strong presence of Egypt's leadership under President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in such international events enhances its regional role and gives it more legitimacy and international recognition.
Egypt scored a great political success in the conference, which is the biggest to be hosted in Egypt under Sisi since mass protests against former President Mohamed Morsi on June 30, said Egyptian expert Samir Ghattas, head of Maqdis Center for Political and Strategic Studies.
"It is like a recovery certificate for the Egyptian regional position," Ghattas continued, "especially that it follows the efforts of Egypt to reach an Israeli-Palestinian truce and inter-Palestinian reconciliation."
For his part, Palestinian political analyst Abdel-Qader Yassin saw it "ironic" that the United States called for holding a Gaza reconstruction conference while its weapons are used by its Middle East ally Israel to kill the Palestinians and pull down their homes.
"I believe the American donations are meant to blackmail the Palestinian side and force it to continue fruitless negotiations that went on for 20 years and benefited only Israel's settlement expansion," Yassin told Xinhua.