The Israeli government's easing of the siege on Gaza was approved by senior cabinet Ministers on Sunday days after Jerusalem had issued a non-binding declaration supporting such a move last week; whether the siege itself will end is another question.
No one knows if Palestinians will have freedom of movement -- a question that remains to be answered by anyone with authority. Hamas and its spokespersons are celebrating "victory" already and becoming a lot more stubborn about Palestinian unity talks . This week Israel said they will allow 130 truckloads of items into Gaza that, until recently, have been banned. The trucks will be carrying school supplies, kitchenware, mattresses, towels, and toys. There is still no explanation as to why these items were denied in the first place. In addition to many consumer products, here are four basic things that Gaza and its people need right now and will likely not receive despite the so-called easing of the siege.
- Raw Material--Due to the blockade on Gaza, many food plants in the Strip discontinued production of or scaled back on many of their operations due to the limitations on goods allowed in. Needless to say this contributed to the already high percentage of unemployment, as those food plants used to employ hundreds of workers that now sit at home because their jobs no longer exist. Sugar, flour, cooking oil, and dairy products were only allowed in for humanitarian aid, so food processing in Gaza was largely shut down. The people of Gaza turned to Egyptian made food goods, as the local factories were unable to produce their own, let alone compete against goods smuggled in through border tunnels . Gaza's wealthy few indulge on Hostess cakes, chocolate bars, sodas, and cheeses that are made in Egypt. If Israel's easing of the siege is real, then those food operations will resume and ultimately undercut tunnel products. Gaza's three largest food processing factories (Al-Badr mill, Al-Wadiya group, Al-Awda) have either shut down production or are close to it. They have also suffered major damage due to Israel's cast lead operation. Gaza's largest private fish farms suffered either from the Israeli attacks on their property or from the lack of goods allowed in Gaza. That a coastal strip like Gaza, with a long fishing history, relies on land-based fish farms for seafood speaks to the absurdity of the blockade. Another casualty of the siege is the price of cars in Gaza. Due to the blockade, car parts are banned from entering Gaza. Even humanitarian groups are unable to import new cars to help them carry out their missions. This should not happen, especially at time when car manufacturers are looking for new markets.
- Electricity and Fuel--You cannot run an economy if you do not have power to run it. Israel has used electricity and fuel to play politics with the people of Gaza. You cannot have a health care system or education without it either. Of course, not only do average Palestinians' homes suffer from the lack of electricity, especially during the hot summer days when their produce goes bad, the entire Gaza economy suffers. Take, for example, the Al-Awda food factory, Gaza's largest snack food producer. This summer Gaza's shops and grocery stores have stopped purchasing ice cream products due to their inability to keep them frozen. This comes as a result of the frequent electricity outages; keeping ice cream frozen is all but impossible. I know this is a challenge. I found that out trying to make smoothies in Gaza last summer. It is a daunting task to say the least. Not just that, Gaza's small textile shops also are unable to finish whatever orders they have. It's not unusual to see young men wearing knee lengths shorts lurking in the streets doing nothing but waiting for the electricity to turn on. If Israel's main concern is banning weapons, then there should be no reason why people should be prevented from rebuilding their economy. According to the Palestinian Trade Center, "By June 2008, all but 90 of Gaza's 3,900 industrial enterprises had ground to a halt, laying off 97% of their 35,000 staff. Israel, Egypt and the Palestinians energy company all provide Gaza or parts of it with power. But due to shortage of fuel and damage to the Gaza electric company, Gazans still have to put up with power shortage.
- Internet Bandwidth--The bandwidth of the internet is very low in Gaza due to Israel's ban on communication devices. This is a huge problem because the internet has become so important in the life of many. Students in Gaza can now take exams and submit assignments online, journalists use it to keep in touch with their peers, NGOs also use it. Others use it to listen to music, play games or catch the latest headline. Regardless of what the need is, the Israeli ban on equipment has led internet providers in Gaza to complain of the overused servers and outdated technology they are working with. Due to their inability to upgrade their network, many subscribers have to put up with a lousy internet connections that more often than not fail its users. The internet is especially important to the people of Gaza, as the confined space and lack of freedom of movement under the blockade make it hard to do anything but exist. The internet provides that window for many young Palestinians. The US just gave Iran a bigger bandwidth to promote freedom and democracy, so why allow the Israelis to choke the Gaza Strip's internet connection? Due to the lack of equipment a basic internet line costs a lot more in Gaza than anywhere else in the world. Hardware such as modems and internet cables are hard to come by, making them out of reach for many students. Most internet cafes, however, do have power generators to keep their computers running. The internet economy might provide Gaza with a real opportunity to develop into an IT hub for many Arab countries, as there are no shortage of IT savvy Palestinians who come at a low price.
- Law and order--In order to provide Gaza with law and order a number of things have to happen. Hamas has shown that it can and will take effective control of Gaza, and to a large extent they have. What they also have done is enforce a number of laws and regulations that Gaza needed for a long time. For example, Hamas has done a better job of managing the Gaza traffic and maintain better beaches. On the other hand, they have been brutal in punishing those who insist on defying them. For some reason, on the local government level and in providing basic services, Hamas has had success in enforcing law and order on the people of Gaza, though some might say at a high cost. Hamas has officially executed five individuals accused of various crimes. To Hamas this action serves as a deterrent to others. They have largely succeeded in containing other smaller Palestinian groups and stopped them from launching homemade rockets at Israel. Israel has also returned the favor by not targeting Hamas figures, although Palestinians in Gaza frequently see Israeli drones flying over them, fishermen get fired upon at sea, and farmers in border areas have to submit to constant Israeli intimidation. For the most part both Hamas and Israel have honored their unspoken ceasefire.
No one expects Israel to provide these things for the Palestinians, but as you know Gaza is still as an occupied territory and that makes Israel accountable for what goes inside it and therefore they ought not to undermine the efforts of Palestinians and their friends who want to have a decent life. Some Palestinians might equate the latest Israeli effort to easing the siege with putting lipstick on a pig, but I am not sure if lipstick are allowed into Gaza. Hamas is a militant group and remains so, but their officials now have to make payroll, provide services, and run a government. For now they do not seem to be interested in another round of violence. Hamas might celebrate victory for a day, but then they have to answer the "what now?" question. Thanks to a new poll we know that the majority of the Palestinians want peace. I believe that people with opportunities make great neighbors and the people of Gaza are no different.
Historical precedent proves that Palestinians groupings abandon warfare against Israeli people ONLY after crushing defeats.
Proof: Arafat-led PLO abandoned the goal of obliterating Israel only after a series of devastating defeats by IDF, Syrians and Jordanians
And loss of millions of petro-dollars in annual hand-outs from very, very angry Kuwaitis and Saudis... For those unfamiliar with this subject-- PLO and Arafat explicitly endorsed Hussein occupation of Kuwait. Despite billions of dollars in assistance from Kuwaitis.
The same dynamic is in play with Hamas. A few more devastated defeats like Cast Lead are required. Only then Hamas will climb down from the heights of their religiously inspired, somewhat hallucinatory, militancy. to something resembling rationality.
It happened to PLO and it will happen to the current rulers of Gaza.
Hopefully it won't take 40 years as with PLO. Probably it won't,
Hamas is far weaker than PLO ever was in the 70s and 80s.
Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Saudis and Americans, are acutely aware of the devastation Palestinian militants wrecked in the region in the past.
This time around there seem to be a determined effort to contain Palestinian militants from the repeat performance in the Middle East.
http://www.paltoday.ps/arabic/News-84263.html
--------------------------------------------
- recognize the existence of the J_ewish state
- renounce violence
- stop the acts of war such as the 10 mortars fired today into I_srael
- admit that you lost the war and trade land for PEACE
Please note that Christianity, I_slam and J_udaism all share (yearn for) a similar a_pocalyptic fantasy of a final battle that decides the true god.
And then understand that all three of these well armed faiths lay apocalyptic claims to the SAME TEMPLE MOUNT.
Understanding this, and witnessing the virulent h_atreds that many hold for the existence of the tiny Jewish state, one should see A_rmageddon as an inescapable fate, rather than merely a silly religious story.
P E A C E - I S - T H E - A N S W E R
How can you have peace while subjugating others ?
How can you have peace without recognition of equality in human beings ?
How can you have PEACE WITHOUT JUSTICE ?
All corrolaries to the above are equally true :
Violence is inevitable without an unconditional Right of Return ?
Violence is inevitable with subjugation of others ?
Violence is inevitable without recognition of equality in human beings ?
Violence is inevitable WITHOUT JUSTICE ?
On the rest we agree.
"Shortage of medical supplies in Gaza is well documented. No sovereign entity is deliberately banning Africans from having Internet, electricity...etc. Israel seems to think they have the right to do."
Ed Morgan is a professor of international law at the University of Toronto: "Israel/Hamas are in a state of armed conflict. A blockade of an enemy’s coast is an established military tactic. Blockades are often enforced in international waters. The blockading party has the right to fashion the arrangements, including search at a nearby port, passage of humanitarian goods is permitted.”
1)- The blockade of Gaza is legal according to maritime law, while attempts to run the blockade are not.
2)- Resisting arrest and attacking the blockade's enforcers is illegal, while the use of force to overcome that resistance is not.
3)- Since a blockade is illegal if its purpose is to starve a population, that is what propaganda accuses Israel of. Yet Gaza is the most heavily aided population on earth with nearly a ton of aid per person delivered in the last 18 months!
4)- in the first quarter of 2010, Israel shipped 152 trucks of medical supplies and equipment into Gaza. In 2009, over 5500 Gaza patients received medical care in Israel. Those seeking Israeli care are restricted by Hamas controlling permits.
Palestinians receive subsidized healthcare for 10% of that paid by Americans. But note, since 2005, Palestinians exploited medical care arrangements more than 20times to carry out t_error attacks.
I know this can be argued both ways. But answer this :
If The Gazans had the capability, you would argue the same AND FULLY SUPPORT the blockade BY Gaza on Israel, correct ?
There is a huge difference between what is legal and what you want to happen.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/chronic-malnutrition-in-gaza-blamed-on-israel-1019521.html
Do starving populations export food and flowers? If so, are not their governments to blame?
During the M_uslim holy days of R_amadan and Eid al-Adha, I_srael shipped some 11,000 head of cattle into Gaza - enough to provide 8.8 million meals of beef, or 6 beef meals per person for the holiday. I don't get that much beef in a month!
The Red Cross also calls on Hamas and other Arab groups to do their part to help ordinary Gazan civilians.
I notice that Israel allows the Red Cross in to Gaza to help, but Hamas does not allow the Red Cross to visit Gilad Shalit.
Internet - is this a joke? Is this a human right now?
Keep up your excellent, detailed narrative of what will be needed to end this horrendous siege, once & for all, not just in name only. Your groupings are organized, useful & can be used as a barometer of whether the siege is really broken.
I remember reading last yr. about your quest to have smoothies in Gaza, still thinking of it as illustrative of how the determination of an entire people against all the might of the major powers (who have been accomplices in the entire occupation of Palestine) is what will win the day. The Palestinians just don't quit, regardless of how much the odds are stacked against them.
Not only the siege, the entire occupation of Palestine has to end if the major powers are ever to regain any integrity in the region. The US Congress has made a mockery of itself for its continued support of occupation, siege, mass incarceration, eviction of families. It is standing practically alone now, more than ever, with fewer entities so willing to act as accomplices in maintaining the gruesome conditions of occupation in Palestine
Would the Jews living there not mind living the life of a Palestinian? Would they care to live in an open-air prison, relying on smuggled goods, and hoping that the worlds 3rd most powerful airforce doesn't bombard them with white phosphorous?
Come to think of it, Jews did live like this in the '30s and '40s. Hmm, I guess they enjoyed it so much, they felt the need to inflict the same lifestyle on other people.
Apparently no access to cement, concrete, electricity and gas in an open-air prison that has been under a brutal occupation for decades and home to several massacres including Cast Lead, leaving homes, hostpitals, mosques, churches, colleges and universities under rubble, and unable to be re-built because of the lack of necessary materials.
You are right Cuthbert, there is no "humanitarian crisis", and there was no holocaust. Pain and suffering is the imagination of the weak, correct?
"No one sovereign entity is deliberately banning those nations you speak of from having internet, electricity...etc. Israel seems to think they have the right to do it. "
No, I would say Israel has the right to not provide Gaza with Internet, electricity, etc. Israel sells those things to Gaza, it is not required to do business with an entity it is at war with. I'm sure the Arab League with its vast array of oil wealth could find a way to route a T1 line into Gaza.
My point with comparing Gaza to Africa is that many Africans do not have the amenities you described, but they are not all in a humanitarian crisis (and if they are, it's for other reasons). Israel is obligated to provide certain materials that will prevent a humanitarian crisis, but there is no way Internet access is one of them.
As for whether or not Africa is under occupation, that is irrelevant to determining whether there is a humanitarian crisis or not.
Israel, which controls most of what goes into and out of Gaza, has said no repeatedly.
At first, Israeli officials said that they wanted to make sure that the macaroni wasn't destined for a Hamas charity. Then they said macaroni was banned because they didn't consider it an essential food item.
On Wednesday, days after American lawmakers raised pointed questions about the macaroni ban, Israeli authorities said that they were preparing to give the pasta a green light.
For the international aid community, the dispute is emblematic of the red tape and political maneuvering that have stymied efforts to rebuild Gaza.
"We're at the end of our rope," said David Holdridge, the head of Middle East emergency relief efforts for Mercy Corps. "This is just ridiculous. It's absolutely absurd."
Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2009/02/25/62797/israel-blocks-pasta-shipment-to.html#ixzz0rrhrpplY
Would someone please tell Hani that Israel left in 2005. Btw Hani, Hamas took over in 2006 and has since made sure that there is no opposition. I suppose you're going to say Israel is behind Hamas. Right. Stop blaming Israel for everything and take a stand for freedom!
The US sponsored bin Laden when it wanted a counter to Russia. I guess it follows that the US is responsible for 9/11. What a fun game this is! Anyone can play.
Well, there's no freedom of speech, no free press, no freedom of religion, no civil rights, and girls are not allowed to go to school--even UN sponsored schools--under Hamas.
So I think it's pretty clear that Palestinians in Gaza are not going to have freedom of movement or any other freedom until Hamas is put out of power. And Hamas is going to be around as long as it has support from the west.
Cheney: Mistake for Bush Admin. to Push for 2006 Palestinian Elections
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/06/cheney-mistake-for-bush-admin-to-push-for-2006-palestinian-elections.html
How 'rewriting history' working for you apologists?
About 5:30 PM 3 mortar shells were fired and fell on the Palestinian side of the border fence, not far from the Erez Crossing.
Palestinians should initiate rocket attacks on Israel from the West Bank, Israel Radio quoted Hamas strongman Mahmoud Zahar as saying in an interview on Sunday, saying that such a move was "necessary."
Funny, these attacks continue all the time, but this article denies it. It also doesn't mention that Hamas wants to open another front against Israel.
I also think that the blockade is a mistake. Israel should do what every other normal country would do: Go in, remove civilians from the areas from where the rockets are coming, and bomb the terrorists and the Gaza infrastructure back to the Stone Age. Then, give the civilians more cement to rebuild. Let them have their ice cream. If the rockets start, do the same again.
But of course, we aren't talking about a normal country; we're talking about Israel, the Jewish State.
Israel broke the last ceasefire (unspoken or not) with a raid on a few tunnel diggers. Maybe Israel should look at a better way.