There is a movie called Miss Congeniality movie starting Sandra Bullock who goes through a makeover from FBI agent to beauty queen pageant contestant. In the movie, she makes the finals and is caught up in the expression’s beauty contestants say, after giving a demonstration of self-defense tactics, says I really do want world peace. Hopefully we all want world peace.

In an article by Eric Reguly of the Globe and Mail, the reconstruction of Gaza will require a repair bill of a minimum of $70 billion. About 85% of the built environment has been severely damaged or outright destroyed. Water purification systems, the electrical grid, fiber-optic networks, urban sanitation systems and farmland has been destroyed. Most hospitals and schools no longer exist or require reconstruction. Millions of people were displaced.

Israel and Hamas signed a peace treaty, but who will pay for the rebuild and under what conditions can the rebuild happen? Who has authority to award contracts? Who will govern Gaza to ensure stability of the long-term projects?

It is likely that the funding will come from the wealthy Gulf States, the EU, the US, the World Bank, the IMF, and the UN Development Program.

Turkish companies would get most of the work if Palestinians had their way. Turkish President Erdogan has been a consistent supporter of the Palestinian, but the risk is the Israeli military could disrupt the supply lines for any Turkish company.

The major Turkish construction companies are: Limak Holding, Ronesans, ENKA Insaat and Kalyon Construction. ENAK has done a lot of work in post war Iraq and Libya. Kaylon helped build the new Istanbul airport, one of the world’s largest private airports.

Egyptian companies that likely would participate include Orascom and Consolidated Contractors. CCC is one of the world’s largest construction companies.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, when peace is present people will build and construction happens. There are large construction companies in the USA as well as the rest of the world. If you want to diversify your portfolio looking at companies that will benefit from the rebuilding of Gaza can be a good thing to do.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.