Israeli companies win UN bids to reconstruct Gaza, angering Palestinians
Palestinian Contractors Union forbids members to collaborate with Israelis
By Elhanan MillerMay 24, 2012, 11:05 pm
http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-companies-win-un-bids-to-reconstruct-gaza-angering-palestinians/

A number of Israeli companies have recently won UN tenders for
reconstruction projects in the Gaza Strip, enraging Palestinian contractors
who claim they were outbid by the country that destroyed their
infrastructure.

More than three years after Israel inflicted widespread damage on the
infrastructure of the Gaza Strip during Operation Cast Lead, an offensive
aimed at curtailing relentless Hamas rocket fire into Israel, two Israeli
companies won bids issued by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to
construct water plants in Gaza, London-based daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported
Thursday.

Osama Kahil, deputy head of the Palestinian Contractors Union, told the
daily that a number of Israeli companies have contacted contractors in Gaza
offering them half of the bids’ revenue to execute the projects.

“It is unreasonable for the Israeli occupation to be rewarded for its
destruction of Gaza’s economy,” Kahil told Al-Quds Al-Arabi. “It waged a
relentless war on our livelihood, and now our markets are being opened to
its companies.”

Kahil said his union sent letters to all contractors in Gaza, warning them
against cooperation with Israeli companies.

“A sense of morality and patriotism will not allow anyone to cross these red
lines,” he said. The Palestinian Engineers Association also declared that it
would “legally and nationally pursue” members who work with Israel.

The Palestinian Authority announced previously that it would cost $2.8
billion to reconstruct Gaza. No comment from UNICEF was available at time of
publication.