Newsletter No. 886
Editorial-Opinion
January 29, 2008

 

THE JAPAN TIMES COMPARES THE GAZA WALL WITH THE BERLIN WALL

I have already described the latest Israeli government policies in Gaza as a “PR disaster” for them, and today there is a remarkably robust editorial on this issue from the Japan Times that confirms that earlier judgment. Frankly, I don’t know which is the more remarkable about this editorial: That it stands up for the rights of ordinary Palestinians, or that the editors of the Japan Times have finally learned how to write a short English essay effectively and forcefully, and with a strong concluding sentence.

Tear Down This Wall!
Japan Times

At the height of the Cold War, then U.S. President Ronald Reagan went to Berlin, where standing next to the landmark of that era, he called on Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down this wall." Today, a similar symbol of repression separates the Gaza Strip from the rest of the world.

The desperation that governs the lives of Gaza residents was on display last week when the fence that marks their territory was broached and hundreds of thousands of them flooded into Egypt in search of food and other necessities. This situation must end; the punishment of the Gazan people must stop.

Fearing that unfettered access to the Gaza Strip would create a sanctuary for its enemies, Israel closely regulates the territory's borders. Earlier this month, after a barrage of rockets were fired at Israeli towns and farms by Palestinian militants within Gaza, the government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert closed the borders, depriving Gaza of virtually all supplies, including the fuel that runs the territory's main power plant.

After severe international criticism, Israel agreed to reopen the borders for a week. Unsatisfied with that response, Hamas, the militant Islamic group that runs Gaza, blasted open the barrier at the town of Rafah at the border with Egypt. Gazans poured into Egypt in search of daily necessities and other consumer goods that they are denied at home. Egyptian security forces stood by, ensuring that the stampede was orderly. As international attention focuses on the situation, Egyptian officials have made it clear that they will not hinder Gazans seeking food, but they will not tolerate a lawless border.

Israel's closure of Gaza's borders is a violation of international law. No government can exact mass punishment of innocent populations and the 1.5 million residents of Gaza were made to suffer for the crimes of a much smaller group.

The United Nations Human Rights Council voted Jan. 24 in special session to condemn the closure and demanded the borders be reopened. Sponsored by Arab states, the measure made no mention of the rocket attacks that prompted Israel's action. That resolution may been biased, but its conclusion was correct: The closure should be lifted.

There is far more at stake here than meets the eye, however. Israel, for example, is not greatly troubled by the breaching of the fence. It is happy to lift the siege if that means Egypt will be forced to assume control of the borders and responsibility for the welfare of the people of Gaza. Egypt is cognizant of all that entails and is reluctant to assume the burden. It is also worried about the influence radical Islamists could have on Egyptian society.

Still, it will be difficult for Cairo to wash its hands of the situation. Hamas would be happy with that arrangement too: Currently, Israel collects all taxes that are collected for goods that cross into Gaza. Israel then delivers that money to the Palestinian Authority (PA), the official government of Gaza and the West Bank. But the PA is headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, leader of Fatah, which is Hamas' chief rival. Hamas ran Fatah out of Gaza in June. If Egypt takes control of the border, Hamas would demand a new mechanism to collect and distribute the levies and taxes, one that would include it. Hamas forces have continued to tear down portions of the fence to keep the pressure on Egypt.

Mr. Abbas does not want to lose his control over the border revenues. More importantly, he does not want Gaza and the West Bank, which is still under his authority, permanently separated. It is reported that Mr. Abbas quietly supported the Israeli border closure in the hope that the hardships that would follow would undermine Gazans' support for Hamas.

The rivalry for control of Gaza continues to intensify. But both sides seem to have lost sight of what should be their most important concern: the people of the territory. Gazans have become a pawn in a larger geopolitical game, ignored by Israelis, used as a public relations device by Arab governments to beat up on Israel and exploited by Hamas and Fatah as each organization struggles to best the other and expose the limits of Israel's power. As a result, the Palestinian people live in misery, struggling to survive. They have been ill served by all their governments since the Palestinian Authority was created. This must stop. Tearing down the fence that seals Gazans into their homes is a first step but it is just that.

Fatah and Hamas must find common ground so that they can govern the Palestinian territory rather than turn it into a battleground. That means finding some sort of power sharing arrangement. One such deal was worked out last year, brokered by Saudi Arabia. It is time to revisit that arrangement. The people of Gaza have suffered long enough.