Rival Palestinian governments seek $2.8 billion in foreign aid

Gaza: The rival Palestinian governments US backed moderates in the West Bank and the Islamic militants of Hamas in Gaza presented competing plans Wednesday for rebuilding war-ravaged Gaza, each seeking roughly $2.8 billion in foreign aid.

The moderates, led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, believe they can raise the full amount at an international pledging conference for Gaza in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheik next week. Saudi Arabia has already promised $1 billion and the US is expected to contribute about $900 million.

However, Gaza would need open borders and an internationally accepted government for reconstruction to move forward smoothly. At the moment, it has neither.

Hamas is widely shunned as a terror group, and Israel and Egypt have kept Gaza cut off from the world since the militants seized the territory in June 2007, leaving Abbas only in control of the West Bank.

In one scenario, Hamas and Abbas would reconcile, form a joint government and bring about an end to the blockade. Representatives of Hamas and Abbas' Fatah movement launched a new round of reconciliation talks Tuesday, but chances for success are seen as slim because of deep distrust between the two sides.

In the absence of a unity deal, the rival governments moved ahead with separate plans for rebuilding Gaza, following Israel's three-week military offensive, launched to halt Hamas rocket fire on Israeli border towns. The fighting, which ended Jan. 18, killed some 1,300 Palestinians, according to human rights groups, and damaged or destroyed thousands of homes.

Initial estimates put physical and economic damage at about $2 billion.

In the West Bank, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Wednesday he would ask donor coutries for $2.8 billion for Gaza, citing a more thorough assessment. He said he has put together a reconstruction plan and will present it to representatives of 80 donor countries Monday in Sharm Al Sheik.