UNDERSTANDING GAZA
By Larry Snider
I began at the University of Pennsylvania, where Huwaida Arraf and her partner, Adam Shapiro, were speaking on the Free Gaza Flotilla.
“Occupation is measured by the amount of effective control over a territory. Israel has maintained effective control over Gaza. Israel controls movement into and out of Gaza and 80% of the population is dependent on food aid,” said Huwaida”
“Nobody was doing anything about it. We got an email with the idea to sail a boat to Gaza. We had no boats.” After a number of individual efforts Huwaida said; “we started organizing the Freedom Flotilla. We don’t have to do this alone. IHH, (and others), said they would join us.”
“I was on the Challenger I. I’ll tell you the biggest propaganda push of the Israelis: That the Mavi Marmara was violent terrorists,” she said.
“The Israeli Navy contacted us. They demanded that we turn around. I answered on behalf of the Flotilla: We are civilians carrying civilian aide, no threat. We don’t constitute a threat,” she said.
“We went out on the boat. I saw a Zodiac, (military boat), filled with soldiers coming up on the Mavi Marmara opening fire,” Huwaida said.
Adam Shapiro discussed strategy: “The basic impact on the siege after the Flotilla; a story that went on and on and on.” “The International Committee of the Red Cross was quiet on the issue of the blockade prior to the Flotilla. The ICRC called Israel’s actions; a violation of the Geneva Convention and said that it was incumbent on all states to take action to end the blockade,” he said. “What we think we can do is transform this conflict into one between Israel and the rest of the world with Israel becoming a rogue nation,” he said.
For Andy David, Deputy Spokesperson for the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the policy towards Gaza of his government is simple: “Anything civilian can go in through the passages of entry. Things that can be used for creating war materials cannot.”
I asked about Hamas and he said; “We regard Hamas the same way before, during and after Cast Lead.”
Then I asked about hope and he said; “I am very hopeful. The Israeli government is willing to move forward. We hope the other side will meet us half way. We believe we should discuss all the hard issues at the negotiating table.”
I asked Adnan Abu Hasna, Media Advisor to UNRWA, how their priorities changed after Cast Lead: “After the Cast Lead operation we faced so many challenges especially for thousand of shelters that had been destroyed. The number of factories that had been destroyed and closed nearly reached to 4000 which affected the number of unemployed people and those who asked for our help.” “One of the great challenges that we faced was the panic, depressions, fears and other psychological problems that most of students at UNRWA schools suffered from after the war. Right now we have programs to deal with that, he said.” “We succeeded in getting 150 shelters completed in Khanyunis area, southern part of the Gaza Strip that will absorb hundreds of homeless people,” he said.
“We provide food assistance to 860 000 Palestine refugees in the Gaza strip which contains basic food needs; flower, sugar, milk, beans and other items. We are now in the process of building 8 schools, 2 clinics but we have plans to build 100 schools and 10 clinics. We will tender the rebuilding of some shelters of the Libyan grant $50 million that had been promised to UNRWA for the rebuilding of 1250 destroyed shelters during Gaza war. We have suspended projects of $93 million. We have the land, the money even we signed contracts with contractors before 2007 and right now we can’t restart the project due to the lack of building materials.”
I spoke with Hamdi Shaqqura, Deputy Director for Program Affairs for the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, about his work in Gaza: “The major issue remaining is the need for raw materials for industry and construction. Thousands of homes, hospitals and schools destroyed. There is a need for the free flow of products, imports and exports, otherwise nothing will improve,” he said.
He then added; “Isolation, international sanctions and closures. On the ground there is poverty, high unemployment and isolation. It is a recipe for extremism to flourish. The message to the international community is; what do you expect Gaza to be like in ten years?”
“Israel remains the principal violator of human rights. Still, we suffer this suicide between Hamas and Fatah. It is a national suicide. At the end of the day who would benefit from this situation? Mainly Israel,” he said.
I talked with Noam Bedein, the Director of the Sderot Media Center: “October 2010 marks the 10th year that Sderot and the Western Negev have been targeted by rockets. Almost every single day with fifteen seconds warning.”
He went on to say: “No government would be spending half a billion shekels on bomb shelters unless they understood what was to be expected in the future: Years and years of conflict with Gaza!” “Every single person here has been traumatized,” he said.
I talked with Lt. Colonel Avital Leibowitz, Head of Foreign Press Branch, Israel Defense Forces and she began by commenting on Cast Lead: “The Cast Lead operation was to stop rocket fire. Before the operation sixty to eighty rockets per week. Thirteen rockets were fired in the month of October 2010. In that sense the operation was very effective.”
She went on to speak about terror: “In 2010 there was an increase in the amount of terror activities around Gaza. Every three days there’s some event at the fence. We have workers that were killed by snipers. We have to protect the fence.” “In 2000 the Qassam radius was six kilometers. In 2010 the radius is approximately sixty kilometers,” she said.
“On the religious side, Gaza is undergoing a process of radicalization. UN facilities are being boycotted by Hamas with Hamas refusing to send girls. There are signs of incitement everywhere. A whole generation is being raised on false information,” she said.
I asked about the Flotilla: “The Mavi Marmara had no humanitarian aid on the ship. We understand very well that it was a PR stunt filled with provocations. When you look at the Marmara overall; a delegitimization effort. This is a new kind of warfare,” she said. The warfare doesn’t only consist of military, but of human rights organizations lending delegitimization to the journey,” she added.
“Hamas is not a saint,” she continued. Fifty percent of bombing, (during the Intifada), were Hamas. This is the organization we have to deal with. We have a terrorist organization on the border with humanitarian goods flowing in,” she said.
“If you go to any hospital in Israel you will always see Gaza people going to the hospital. Out of every five people that ask, four get in to Israel,” she said.
I asked Dr. Ahmed Yousef, Deputy Foreign Minister of Hamas about Hamas’ vision: “Actually Hamas’ vision is crystal clear: Pre 1967 state with Jerusalem as a capital, the right of return. At least for the first stage, that will end the conflict. If we can succeed to build confidence, a Hudna; ten or twenty years of truce, people will think about what kind of accommodation to do. Consider Palestinian inalienable rights,” he said.
I asked about the Unity talks with Fatah: “We will be having the Memorandum of Understanding from the Egyptian effort. I am very optimistic that we will sign the MOU after the meeting or in another few days.”
I asked about the humanitarian crisis and Hamas: “I’m very sure it’s political, cultural, and social. It is most important we are still under occupation, still lack the raw materials that we need for construction like cement. Houses are not being built. Still suffering from the Israeli war. Efforts of the world community will be welcome. It is more important how we will lift the sanctions and end the siege of Gaza.”
“After the war and the huge damage to Gaza, people in the military decided not to give the Israelis any justification to continue the assault. The priority of the government now is to rebuild the infrastructure and take care of the people and how to find a job for the people. Priority for national reconciliation, focus on electricity and water projects. Also, to give a period of quiet,” said Dr. Yousef.
The challenges facing the governments are enormous only to be out distanced by the suffering of the people of Gaza and their neighbors across the fence. Can too many deaths and too much pain lead all sides to recognize the desperate need to negotiate peace?
Larry Snider is Coordinator of the Interfaith Community for Middle East Peace in Bensalem, PA and can be contacted at ld.snider@yahoo.com .
Special thanks to The Israel Project and the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.
