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!
