Gaza: Worse Than Oneof Our Prisons

Barack Obama’s speech in Cairo was followed with special attention in Gaza. Even though the United States president referred to the “pain the Palestinians have endured for 60 years”, he could not ease the suffering of a population that stopped believing in miracles a long time ago. Since Hamas took control of the Mediterranean zone in June 2007, its one and a half million inhabitants have suffered one of the most relentless blockades imaginable, all with the total indifference of Western nations. To get in or out of Gaza became a mission impossible, once it was closed by Israeli authorities who fiercely control its air, sea and land borders.

The nightmare didn’t start on December 27, 2008, with Operation Cast Lead, but on August 15, 2005, when Ariel Sharon unilaterally pulled his troops and colonists from the Gaza Strip. Two years later, Ehud Olmert’s government declared it a “hostile entity”, which paved the way for the imposition of punitive measures, including the progressive disruption of the supply of water, electricity, and gas. All with a dual purpose: to debilitate Hamas, which had emerged stronger after its victory in the January 2006 elections, and to punish the Palestinian population for giving [Hamas] its vote. Dov Weissglass, Sharon’s and Olmert’s advisor, proceeded to recommend that Palestinians be put on “a slimming diet”, a recommendation that was taken literally.

One should remember that collective punishments are a flagrant violation of international law and are strictly prohibited by the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, which establishes, in Article 33: “No protected person may be punished for an offense he or she has not personally committed. Collective penalties and likewise all measures of intimidation or of terrorism are prohibited. [Pillage is prohibited.] Reprisals against protected persons and their property are prohibited.”

In addition, the Israeli authorities prevented the entry of what they consider to be luxury products, including pasta, chickpeas, lentils, tomatoes, biscuits, jam or dates. The situation verges on the absurd, given that the list of banned substances is not public and varies from day to day, a real headache for humanitarian agencies.

Although it might be considered a first step for Obama to say in his Cairo speech that “the situation for the Palestinian people is intolerable,” and that “the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza does not serve Israel’s security”, there is still a long way to go. Among other things, the U.S. must show whether it is prepared to move from words to deeds, not only by pressing Israel to halt its settlement activity in the West Bank, but also by putting an end to the inhuman blockade of Gaza. As recently reported by several British NGOs, “Peace will not be achieved by enclosing a million and half people in a prison of poverty and misery.”