This is partially a response to Stephen's post, but I wanted to post this video and sort of expand the discussion to the question of border restrictions as a way to control aid and exert political influence.
This is a video from Al-Jazeera English describing the black market in Gaza where humanitarian aid is sold for other necessities, such as schoolbooks. This report is from about a month ago, so the situation may be changing as we speak. I did find a more recent AP article, and as Stephen and Laura mentioned it appears that the longer-term issues facing recovery in Gaza will not be a question of humanitarian aid (the article reports $4-5 billion in pledged international aid) but one of restrictive borders that are preventing infrastructure-based aid from coming to Gaza.
This Reuters article reiterates the issue of border crossing impeding the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. According to these two articles, both Israel and Egypt are putting heavy restrictions on what can pass through. Israel cites the need to screen reconstruction projects (and thus the materials entering the Gaza strip) on an individual basis so as to prevent these projects from benefitting Hamas. Egypt, on the other hand, is using border restrictions to pressure Hamas into making amends with Mahmoud Abbas.
I think border screening/security can become a tough issue during and after violent conflicts. Border restrictions can slow down the flow of humanitarian aid into high-need areas, and the individual screening process for reconstruction projects may bog down efforts to rebuild essential infrastructure like housing, medical facilities, schools, etc. Is Israel justified in taking these kinds of measures if it prevents aid from reaching Hamas? Is Egypt justified in using restrictions to pressure some sort of reconciliation between Hamas and the West Bank P.A.?
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Wow, this is really crazy. I had no idea that there was a black market for humanitarian aid in Gaza.
ReplyDeleteWhat amazed me was the UNWRA official mentioning that 85% OF GAZANS ARE LIVING BELOW THE POVERTY LINE. Isn't Israel a first-world nation? My first reaction is that civilians should not be refused basic human rights, especially if those civilians are already poor and at-risk for food insecurity. Especially ESPECIALLY if they are within a nation that has ample ability to provide for everyone's basic needs. ...Not to mention that many other countries and intl. orgs are more than willing to feed them. Maybe I am overreacting, but this gives me the genocide heebie-jeebies.
ReplyDeleteMy initial thought regarding this post had to do with what Professor Overman mentioned last class, that is, an economic and socially prosperous Palestine is in Israel's best interest. However, the video about the emergence of a black market indicates that Palestinians are still desperate and angry. Human rights, food, shelter, and healthcare should not be denied to anyone, so what is preventing Israel from finding a way to allow these things into Palestine without compromising their security?
ReplyDeleteI agree that the poverty statistics mentioned in the video are staggering for Gaza. I did a little research on poverty throughout Israel, and specifically of poverty in Arab-Israeli families. I wanted to see what the economic condition was like for Arabs living as Israeli citizens and not in "disputed" territories. It was a little difficult to find news sources that precisely defined the boundaries of the poverty statistics they cited.
ReplyDeleteThis source (http://www.ynet.co.il/english/articles/0,7340,L-3507481,00.html) gave somewhat more specific statistics - 54% of Arab "citizens" of Israel are below the poverty line, which I took to mean residents within the 1967 border.
Secondly, an article from Haaretz (http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/945744.html) from about a year ago cites poverty statistics just within Jerusalem: 62% of Arab families are impoverished, while 23% of Jewish families are.
While I think any statistic should be taken with a grain of salt, across the board it seems like Arab-Israelis as well as Palestinians in Gaza face staggering poverty levels.