West Bank Damages Put at $361 Million
Israel's recent military offensive in the West Bank caused physical damage estimated at $361 million, according to an assessment issued here today by international donors who are mobilizing to finance reconstruction. By comparison, the first 15 months of Israeli-Palestinian fighting, which erupted in September 2000, caused an estimated $305 million in damage.

The damage assessment was carried out by the World Bank, United Nations agencies, the European Union, the United States Agency for International Development, and officials from Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands and Norway, in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority.

It was the first attempt to quantify the damage caused by the Israeli military campaign against six cities and other towns and villages in the West Bank, which began on March 29 in Ramallah and ended last Friday with a pullout from Bethlehem. The estimate does not cover losses of income, which are far greater.

According to the donors' estimate, private businesses took the heaviest losses, suffering $97 million in damage, of which $50 million was harm to buildings and equipment and loss of inventory.

Damage to roads was estimated at $64 million, housing at $66 million and cultural heritage sites at $48 million.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/16/international/middleeast/16DAMA.html