Gaza 2020

I woke up this morning to a temporary, partial power outage.  That is, I have no heat, but I do have electricity in my bedroom, bathroom and living room, while the kitchen, dining room and laundry room have no power!  This is clearly a “first-world” problem, as I know the electric company will get me back “on the grid” in a matter of hours.  Furthermore, I live in the Pacific Northwest, where the outdoor temperature is in the mid-40s, and not in a place with sub-zero temperatures and snow!  Also, I do have some power.  I can make coffee by moving my pot from the kitchen to a plug in the bathroom.  And, when I get cold, I can pile on an extra layer of clothing – or go out to somewhere close by where there is power.

All of this made me think of Gaza, though – and of what life must be like for them to experience not a partial outage, but a full outage, for most of every day.  Not only that, they don’t even have clean water that can be brewed into a cup of tea or coffee – or a reliable source of cooking heat! 

Most of the people reading this are only too well aware that, for the past several years the United Nations has been projecting that Gaza would be “unlivable” (due to lack of clean water and infrastructure) by 2020 – a year that is now upon us. 

According to Sara Roy of Harvard University's Centre for Middle Eastern studies, a leading scholar on Gaza’s economy, “innocent human beings, most of them young, are slowly being poisoned in Gaza by the water they drink and likely by the soil in which they plant.”  Ninety-seven percent of Gaza’s water is undrinkable with only the upper 10% of Gaza’s population having access to clean water according to the United Nations.

And, while it is true that Israel withdrew from its settlements in Gaza in 2006, it continues to maintain a draconian land, sea and air blockade, controlling the entries and exits, all imports and exports, the electromagnetic sphere, the armistice lines (what Israel calls the border), the territorial waters, and airspace - as well as having a monopoly on the electricity in Gaza.

I could go on to talk about how the contaminated water has a grave potential for a serious health crisis in Gaza – or how Israel controls even the amount of food that goes into Gaza (essentially imposing a “diet” on every person in Gaza), but those of you who have read this far already understand what a serious problem this is. 

I would urge everyone reading this page to immediately contact your elected representatives and ask them – in the name of humanity – to speak out for the people of Gaza!

Too Small for Walls

My recent vacation travels took me to northern England, where a friend and I walked a substantial portion of the route of Hadrian’s Wall, and then on to Berlin, where the Berlin Wall lives on - in spite of having been torn down 30 years ago.  Both experiences awakened memories of the time I spend in Palestine, looking at the “Separation Barrier” from a number of different perspectives, passing through its numerous checkpoints and monitoring those same checkpoints as a human rights observer.

The Roman Emperor Hadrian ordered his soldiers to build a wall, intended to keep the “marauding barbarians” from the north from invading Roman-occupied Britain in the south.

A small portion of Hadrian's Wall in England

Construction on the Wall was begun in 122 AD, and it was completed some seven years later.  It stretches just over 70 miles (we walked about 50 of those miles on our week’s visit!), and was a masterpiece of engineering.  Parts of the Wall were as high as 20 feet (including ramparts) and its route also included lookout towers (every 1/3 mile), mile castles (every mile!) and Roman Forts (about every five miles). 

While much of the Wall was dismantled for use as building materials after the Romans abandoned it, enough remains to give visitors a good understanding of the structure of the wall and its importance as a military boundary – as well as the opportunity to re-visit some early history while observing stunning views of the English countryside.  It also was a powerful illustration that, even 1900 years ago, the strong wanted to “protect” themselves from the “outsiders!”

The Berlin Wall is, of course, a piece of modern history – and the emotions it evokes much fresher!  A 4,000 foot section of that Wall has been preserved as a memorial, the East Side Gallery, where contemporary artists have painted portions of the Wall. 

East Side Gallery - Berlin, Germany

Wikipedia describes the Gallery as, “monument to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the peaceful negotiation of borders and conventions between societies and people.” 

That got me to thinking about the differences – and the similarities – between Walls.  Hadrian’s Wall was built to keep “the other” out; the Berlin Wall was built to keep the people in.  And the Separation Barrier between Palestine and Israel serves both purposes – it keeps the Palestinians OUT of Israel and IN Palestine, while at the same time doing nothing to keep the Israelis and settlers OUT of Palestine!!

My favorite souvenir of my Berlin visit is a refrigerator magnet with the words, “The World's Too Small for Walls,” and it appears that, there at least, there exists a common understanding that Walls are not a solution - a lesson yet to be learned by Israelis and American politicians alike!

I gave up on this book about halfway through - I thought the author was patronizing and self-serving. Although he claims to want a "dialogue" with his Palestinian neighbors, what he really wants is to preach at them as to why he (Jewish people) deserve to live in the entire land of Israel (while maybe making some minuscule "accommodation" to the Palestinians who have been live there for several millennia. He tries to justify the Jewish connection to the land, while ignoring the Palestinian's equally strong connection and all of his "history" is told from the Jewish perspective (not surprising as it is the "winners" who write history!) The more I read, the angrier I got - I've lived in Palestine as a human rights observer and he barely mentions the indignities that I witnessed on a daily basis. Had he written this book as a "point/counterpoint" with a Palestinian perspective added to his, I might have been able to read it - but as it stands, no thank you!!

"Rewards" for Prisoners?

Families of Palestinian Prisoners

An acquaintance recently asked me (as someone she knows is involved in the Israel/Palestine “situation”) for an explanation of a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) editorial (https://www.wsj.com/articles/pay-for-slay-in-palestine-1490653597 which encouraged the passage of the Taylor Force Act, which will, according to the WSJ, “cut more than $200 million in annual economic aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) unless it stops paying terrorists.

It was a tough question to answer.  I had never heard of the Taylor Force Act, and still know nothing about it other than the WSJ citation.  I also was unaware of any “rewards” being paid to Palestinian “terrorists,” although common sense told me that this statement was undoubtedly a distortion of the type frequently found in the US press – even the “non-fake” US press!

Then the Palestinian Prisoner Strike started, and the issue came into sharper focus.  Below is my response to my acquaintance, who is actually a very nice person who just happens to be uninformed on anything related to Palestine/Israel;

“This is probably a longer response to the question you asked about "payment" to families of Palestinian "terrorists," than you were seeking - but this article about the prisoner strike (http://mondoweiss.net/2017/05/palestinian-prisoners-describe/?mc_cid=5853e276e2&mc_eid=2c50299218) may give you some insights - as, I hope, will my thoughts on what I believe is the basis of the editorial you shared with me.

Israeli soldiers detain young children without charges

The Israeli Government (which is even more right-wing than the US!) has a long history of “detaining” Palestinians – that is, “arresting” them without charging them of a crime and then leaving them to languish in prison for months or even years.  They also “detain” children – some as young as 7! – without charging them.  Their “excuse” for these actions, which of course are contrary to International Law, is that all Palestinians are “terrorists.”

Of course, some Palestinians do rebel against the illegal Occupation (which has lasted for 50 years now!) and attack Israelis.  Likewise the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces – i.e. Army) attacks Palestinian civilians for no good reason.  It’s a long and complicated story – and, of course, I am deeply immersed in it from having spent three months observing it first hand and writing reports to the United Nations – so I tend to jump on my soapbox when questions are raised about stories reported in the so-called “mainstream” press.

First of all, you have to understand that the US is NOT neutral when it comes to the Israel/Palestine “situation.”  Virtually every member of Congress is beholden to the “Israel Lobby” to some extent (and I’m happy to share the numbers of how much $$ each Congressman or woman has received!).  I could also cite numerous instances of US vetoes to UN resolutions that would chastise Israel for its human rights violation.  Or mention that Israel currently is the LARGEST recipient of foreign aid that the US gives to ANY country (currently $3.2 BILLION a year – and scheduled to rise!) – and it’s a first-world country the size of New Jersey!

All Palestinians are imprisoned by the Wall

But I digress.  You asked about “rewards” to the families of Palestinian “terrorists,” I believe the payments cited in the WSJ editorial are simply a form of “welfare” for the families of men who have been incarcerated (often without being charge or tried as mentioned above and in the attached article).  It is no more a “reward” for their actions than it would be to call the welfare payments given to families of US prisoners a “reward” for whatever they did that landed them in prison.  I don’t believe that the families of prisoners – no matter what country they are imprisoned in – should be “punished” for the acts of a family member.  Do you?

Sadly, the term “terrorist” is too often used to describe Palestinians – and not used often enough to describe the Israelis who, indeed, imprison ALL Palestinians by keeping them enclosed by a Wall!!  But that is a subject for another day. 

I would strongly encourage you to educate yourself about this issue.  I am happy to point you to books or films that will give you more insights.  You may want to click on this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y58njT2oXfE to see a short animated film (6 minutes!) that gives a good overview!  In the meantime, please remember that this is a subject that even the “mainstream” press has a difficult time getting right!"