Inside Story

Who is stopping the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip?

Reconstruction has been slow, with the United Nations taking more than a year to rebuild the first bombed out home.

It has been two years since Israel launched its most recent military offensive on Gaza.

Palestinians living in the strip continue to live with the consequences of that war every day.

Tens of thousands of homes were destroyed or damaged.

Reconstruction is painfully slow, with the United Nations taking more than a year to rebuild the first bombed out home.

That is partly because of the Israeli blockade, now in its tenth year.

Israel says the blockade of Gaza is necessary to stop the movement of weapons and rocket making material.

And that it does allow some humanitarian aid in.

The UN says the blockade constitutes an illegal form of collective punishment.

Inside Story examines conditions for the 1.8 million Palestinians stuck in Gaza and asks: Why hasn’t life improved two years after the war?

Presenter: Martine Dennis

Guests:

Amjad Shawa – Director of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network.

Aitemad Muhanna-Matar – Research Fellow at the London School of Economics Middle East Centre.

Menachem Klein – Professor of Political Science at Bar-Ilan University.