N.Y. Times Gaza correspondent, Taghreed El-Khodary, has a special report at the Middle East Progress site with a moving, first-person account of life in Gaza. It makes for depressing reading. What? You expected something different? Anyway, it’s important for us to know what is happening there and keep in touch with what real people are suffering. That’s why I recommend it:
Daily life has not yet resumed. People are overwhelmed with loss and uncertainty, buying basic commodities and remaining indoors, afraid of what may be coming next, afraid that Israel will cut off electricity, water, medical supplies, food supplies, and petrol.
All people can predict is more fear from Hamas, which is unable to clarify its political vision for the future.
Very few government employees are going to work. Yesterday, a group of Finance Ministry employees, who last week worked for then Unity Government Finance Minister, now Abbas-appointed Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad, went to their jobs at the Ministry at 8 but left at 10. They said “we are lost … we don’t understand which government’s orders we should abide by. The one in the West Bank or the one in Gaza.”
…Palestinians in Gaza are still in a state of shock. They are expecting the darkest days in their lives yet to come. They keep talking about their beloved children…
The moderates, the independents, and the silent majority are afraid to walk around. For the first time in their lives there is a feeling that they do not belong; a feeling that Fateh, Hamas, Israel and the U.S. all share responsibility for what is happening to them.
…In Gaza, Hamas will have to confront many challenges, including legitimacy, internal security, and food supplies. Should Israel seal Gaza, how will they provide people with essential supplies such as electricity and water, which are under Israeli control?
In the West Bank, the situation is also uncertain. Employees are relieved that they will get their full salary on time since the international embargo is to be lifted. But what comes next, what will happen with Hamas there, and what will become of the dream of all for a Palestinian state, this is more unknown than ever.
This is definitely the worst time Palestinians have faced. What makes it so painful, is that they are responsible for it.
The Washington Post carries a column by Robert Malley and Aaron David Miller, West Bank First, It Won’t Work, warning that the West Bank First policy must fail because it is based on mistaken U.S. policy premises. It too is recommended reading:
Having embraced one illusion — that it could help isolate and defeat Hamas — the Bush administration is dangerously close to embracing another: Gaza is dead, long live the West Bank. This approach appears compelling. Flood the West Bank with money, boost Fatah security forces and create a meaningful negotiating process. The Palestinian people, drawn to a recovering West Bank and repelled by the nightmare of an impoverished Gaza, will rally around the more pragmatic of the Palestinians.
…The…fundamental problem with this theory is its lack of grounding. It is premised on the notion that Fatah controls the West Bank….Unlike in Gaza, Israel’s West Bank presence is overwhelming and, unlike Hamas, Fatah has ceased to exist as an ideologically or organizationally coherent movement. Behind the brand name lie a multitude of offshoots, fiefdoms and personal interests. Most attacks against Israel since the elections were launched by the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the unruly Fatah-affiliated militias, notwithstanding Abbas’s repeated calls for them to stop. Given this, why would Israel agree to measurably loosen security restrictions?
…Since Hamas’s election in early 2006, the United States and its allies have behaved as though isolating the Islamist movement could undo its victory and that supporting Fatah politically and militarily would hasten that outcome. The wreckage of that policy is clear. Yet, having witnessed the consequences of those myths, they are hastening to adopt others. Efforts to deepen the split between Hamas and Fatah or between Gaza and the West Bank will compound the disaster, for there can be no security, let alone a peace process, without minimal Palestinian unity and consensus.
…Dividing Palestine geographically is no more a recipe for success than dividing Palestinians politically.
…Sooner or later [Abbas] will be forced to pursue new power-sharing arrangements between Hamas and Fatah and restore unity among Palestinians. As the United States and others seek to empower him, they should push for a comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire in Gaza and the West Bank, which will require dealing — indirectly at least — with elements of Hamas. They should resist the temptation to isolate Gaza and should tend to its population’s needs. And should a national unity government be established, this time they should welcome the outcome and take steps to shore it up. Only then will efforts to broker credible political negotiations between Abbas and his Israeli counterpart on a two-state solution have a chance to succeed.
The diplomatic equivalent of the medical precept is do no harm. Since Hamas’s electoral victory, U.S. policy has helped strengthen radical forces, debilitate Palestinian institutions, undermine faith in democracy, weaken Abbas and set back the peace process. Why ask for more of the same?
Hat tips to Sol Salbe.
Egypt needs to take responsibility for some of this mess. They insisted that Israel evacuate the Philadelphi crossing, then smuggled in tons of arms to engage Israel in a war of attrition. Oops, the strategy backfired, and Hamas gained power. Now that Hamas has gained power, the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the main opposition to the Mubarak dynasty has gained prestige. It is in Egypts best interest to stabilize Gaza since they have done so much to destabilize it. Egypt could begin by accepting refugees from Gaza
Gee, you must think that all police states are models of efficiency & reliability. The Egyptian military & police strike me more as brutal bufoons than paragons of intelligence.
And you know this how?? Evidence?
That was a disturbing article. One of the local residents wanted to kill the reporter before being restrained by the reporter’s host.
I’m by no means defending Syria’s relationship w. Hezbollah nor any other Arab regime’s attitudes toward Islamic extremism which I deplore. But there are many who believe that hatred of Arabs runs rampant in Israel & that that country does little to curb extremists. Except for killers of prime ministers, they get pretty light treatment. And if you’re in the police or IDF & you kill some innocent zhlub in cold blood you get off virtually scot free. Israel has had its share of Natan-Zadas, Goldsteins & Amirs unfortunately.
Maybe the next step is for Jewish extremists to create a concept of global reverse jihad where they export the principles of militant hatred of Islam through the gun. How ’bout a Jewish bin Laden? Sounds ridiculous, but I wonder.
Fiddlesticks. Egypt smuggled weapons into Gaza? Says who? Bedouins are smuggling weapons into Gaza on behalf of both factions. Are you saying the government of Egypt supports this? If so, you better have some proof becuase that’s a serious charge.
As for Egypt owing Israel anything–ridiculous. Yes, it would be in Egypt’s interest to ensure Hamas doesn’t export Islamic revolution back into Egypt. But the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood doesn’t really need much support fr. Hamas as it is basically THE opposition to the Mubarak regime.
There is very little Egypt can do to “stabilize” Gaza short of becoming the new occupying power, which it would a fool to undertake. It was far more in Israel’s interest to stabilize Gaza by negotiating seriously w. Hamas & the national unity government for a peace settlement. Yet another in a myriad of ways both sides have spoiled perfectly good opportunities. It’s just like Israel to now turn to a nation like Egypt to rescue it fr. its own ignominious policy blunders. I doubt Egypt will bite. Why should it? What does it get out of it? What favor does it owe Israel? As long as Hamas behaves itself & doesn’t export terror outside its borders it’s no skin off Egypt’s back.
Egypt is a police state. The Gaza-Egypt border area is a short line and easily patrolled. You can be sure that the Egyptian authorities know about every bullet and pound of high-explosive that is going into Gaza. The Egyptians view Gaza as a way to keep Israel in a war of attrition just like Syria does with Hizubullah in Lebanon. The argument that Egypt “doesn’t want an extremist Islamic regime” on their border doesn’t hold water because they direct its violence against Israel. Syria does the same with Islamic Shi’ite Hizubullah. Syria is a secular regime and has a majority Sunni population but that doesn’t prevent them from supporting Islamic Shi’ite extremists like Hizbullah and the Iranian regime. Even “moderate-pro-American” Jordan allows anti-American extremist Islamists to operate in their country AS LONG AS IT IS DIRECTED OUTWARDS. The New York Times had an article recently about how in the city of Zarqa, Islamic extremists operate openly and recruit suicide bombers for Iraq. That is okay to the little king there since he opposed the Iraqi Shiites and the violence is directed outside his coutry.
Previously you also mentioned Yigal Amir and Baruch Goldstein as examples of a “right wing cult of hate” that is breeding Jewish violence against the Left and Arabs in order to posit a “moral equivalency” between Jews and Arabs and that Jews are in no position to criticize the violence prevalent in so many Arab societies because we are no different.. I want proof such a thing exists, in other words, that there is a Jewish “cult of death” parallel to that exists in the Arab world. Please provide a list of Jews who have murdered Arabs in Israel. I can think of 3 or 4 in the last 15 years, perhaps I am not well informed.
I am glad you saw that article I referred to in the NY TIMES. Please show me “extremists right-wing Jews” (or American Republican evangelical Christians, for that matter) who are turning out suicide bombers like those coming from Zarqa. EVERY DAY in Iraq there are MULTIPLE SUICIDE BOMBINGS. Where is there a comparable violent cult of Jews or Christians?
If Egypt wanted to stop the flow of arms into Gaza, it could easily do so. It has been a common thread among Israels neighbors to claim that they cannot control the borders. Lebanon is an example today. During the war of attrition, Egypt claimed it could not stop fedeayeen from crossing. Jordan tried this also, but when Israel retaliated, Jordan was able to control cross border inflitration. Hatred of Israel runs deep in Egypt, and Egypt allowed smuggling to help let off steam. Well Hamas, and its ally, the Muslim Brotherhood were the ultimate victors. Since Egypt allowed this to happen, it should take responsibility. Your argument about further radicalizing Hamas reminds me of the argument John McCloy of the State Dept made against bombing the tracks to Auschwitz. He claimed that such an act might make the Nazis take more aggressive measures against Jews (as if gassing and incinerating them wasnt aggressive)
Such a loaded, judgmental term. I was not setting up any sort of “moral equivalency” & I wish you’d be more careful in trying to characterize my views.
That’s not what I believe at all. Of course, Jews are in a position to criticize violence in Arab societies. What they are NOT in a position to do is to claim they are holier than thou; that Arabs are the only societies or Muslisms the only religion w. such issues. And Jews are certainly in no position to claim that Judaism or Israel doesn’t know any such problems. If you place yr criticisms of Islam or Arabs in that context then criticize away. If you don’t, then you’ll hear what I wrote to you earlier.
No, it’s not my job to do yr homework for you. That information can be easily found at sites like B’Tselem. Or just do a Google search on the term “Israeli Jews who murdered Arabs.” There have been far more than 4 lethal attacks by Jews against Arabs in the last 15 yrs. But that’s not even the pt. There have been scores of killings of unarmed innocent Palestinian civilians by Israeli police & IDF in that same period. And I’m not even talking about incidents in which Israel accidentally killed a civilian while trying to get an alleged bad guy. In addition, there is savage hatred and violence levelled against Palestinians by settlers that never rises to the level of lethality. Would you like to see pictures of settler children spitting on innocent passersby in Hebron? Or do we now believe that 12 yr. olds have the right to spit on the elderly as long as they’re not Jewish? I’m sorry. That was entirely too snarky I know & you don’t have to answer. But just remembering the image made my blood boil & I’m sorry I took it out on you.
I can’t tell you how many times people write comments here wagging their fingers & saying precisely those words. It doesn’t elicit anything positive fr. me. My job isn’t to prove anything to you. If you want to believe what you believe you’re welcome to do so. But I’m under no obligation to show or prove anything to you.
I am tired of people who moan about the Arab “cult of death,” how Arabs trash life, hate everything that isn’t Muslim, etc. Do you mean to tell me that you do not know the history of Jews as terrorists? Have there never been Jews willing to kill themselves or others on behalf of their religion? Of course, there have. We have terrorists going all the way back to the Temple period. Read up on the Sicarii. The diff. bet. Jewish terrorists and others, at least in our own eyes, is that the former gave their lives or took the lives of others on behalf of the Jewish nation. We admire their sacrifice as well we should in many cases. Many died for noble causes.
But when our sympathy for such violence stops at the water’s edge of our religion, then we are being hypocritical & culturally insensitive. I am NOT saying that we should admire Muslim terrorists or applaud their actions. I AM saying that if we sympathize with Jewish resistance to tyranny then we must at least pause before we condemn what Muslims view as virtually the same type of act. For Muslims, the U.S. occupation of Iraq along w. the Israeli occupation are acts of tyranny against their fellow Muslims. While I don’t justify terrorism or violence by anyone, I can understand where it emanates from.
Comparing me to John McCloy, now that’s guaranteed to needle me isn’t it? You really are annoying.
First, if you believe that Hamas cannot become a far more lethal, toxic & disruptive force both towards Israel and the entire region than it already is then you are quite ignorant. Second, Hamas is not the Nazis & the 2 historical situations have nothing to do w. ea. other. Third, McCloy on this matter (if you are characterizing his statements & views accurately, which I have no idea whether you are or not) was a fool and a moral cretin. If you are likening my argument to his on the same terms then I find yr comparison disgusting. Other than that, yr analogy was tops.
It was not my intention to compare youwith John McCloy. However, Hamas is committed to a pan-Muslim capliphate, just like the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood that Hamas originated from. Hmas feels that a pan-Muslim state is an Islamic religious commandment. It is hard to see where that viewpoint is compatible with accepting the existence of Israel within any border
First, I dispute that HAMAS as a movement is committed to a Muslim caliphate though there may be those individuals among it who are. Second, there are Jews who believe in re-establishing the Holy Temple. Does that mean it’s gonna happen? Islamists have as much chance of establishing their caliphate as Jews have of establishing a Third Temple.
Let’s deal w. reality here instead of cloud cuckoo land stuff, OK?