The Romantic, the Blind and the Dangerous

Eyad Sarraj

AT the gate of the Palestinian legislative council I joined Seven hundred students protesting because they are unable to join their universities abroad and already have missed the first semester. The reason why they are unable to travel is the three years Israeli siege on Gaza. The siege was orchestrated by the American administration of George Bush, inspired by Israel and accepted by Europe and painfully by Arab regimes. Since there is no realistic hope that Israel would allow them to travel, I promised to take their case to FFIPP, to the Authorities in Egypt and to the United Nations.

I left the students to join a meeting at the Gaza Mental Health. While driving on the beach road I heard  the usual sound of repeated bombing   as the Israeli navy tries to scare off the Gaza fishermen from the only thing they know; fishing.  So Gaza siege is complete, by land, sky and water. People however developed many local fish farms to breed fish, and eat it.

Gaza roads are chaotic and dangerous. People are killed   constantly on their motorbikes. Thousands of these made in China  product s are smuggled from Egypt through the Rafah Tunnels into Gaza. Young people ride them with no safety gear and many have no driving license. The strong Hamas minister of interior has recently banned women from travelling on motorbikes behind men and was criticized of discriminating against women but he defended his decision on grounds of safety. He may have a point.  

The minister and the government will  not stop the traffic through the tunnels  of the Egyptian border as they have become a very important part of life in Gaza. Over one thousand of them operate to smuggle goods that are not allowed in by Israel due to her three years policy of siege on Gaza. From thousands of commodities only less than a hundred are allowed. Olmert, the Israeli prime minister explained it by saying that “we will put Gaza people on a diet”.  Egyptian goods are expensive- because so many stations and people are involved and paid- and of poor quality. Israeli goods, when allowed into Gaza are of third rate in the Israeli market, but still the best in the Gazan.

The tunnels supply everything Israel forbids Gaza to have. For over two years, people were deprived of everything except basic food and medicine. Now; chocolate,  computers, glass, kitchen cleaning material, utensils, tissues, toys, even cars and thousands items are smuggled in.

Cement and other building materials, which Israel did not allow after its devastating war in Gaza in January and resulted in 15,000, demolished or damaged homes, are now available in the market.

The tunnels seem to make everyone happy. People can buy goods, Hamas government is happy to have the tension relieved and to excise taxes, the Egyptian businessmen and corrupt watchdogs  , and Israel is happy to see Gaza gradually more dependent on Egypt, a fulfillment of Sharon vision of the unilateral withdrawal in 2004. The American administration seems happy to believe that its decision to besiege Hamas is still in effect although every one reports that it is a failing legacy of Bush blind policy. Many observers are wondering why there is no Change even after the man of “change” has reached the destination of the White House.

On the beach road erratic drivers take the toll on your nerves that a friend commented “these are mad drivers with no brakes”. Obviously people are traumatized and are insecure. Each driver wants to be the first and behaves like he owns the road and does not care about others or the law. His aim is survival and his game is risk taking, almost playing with death. May be some are suffering from the survivors guilt as thousands have been killed by Israel over the last three years.

I found my friend observation so remarkable because it describes the Middle East.  Israel is rapidly trying to colonize more Palestinian land in the West bank while locking up the people in Gaza and expel Arabs from Jerusalem. Israel is driving dangerously while the Americans are like a blind front seat passenger and all the other passengers in the back of the car are terrified. Abbas, the Palestinian President declared he would not play the game and will not stand in the next elections, presumed in January 2010.Abbas is furious and miserable. His reign has witnessed the political polarization and civil war between Hamas and Fatah which lead to the separation of the West Bank from Gaza-another fulfillment of Sharon’ vision. Abbas is disillusioned and frustrated that the Americans are taking the Israeli side blindly. He has put his political, and even physical, life at stake believing that negotiating peace and not armed resistance is the key to Palestinian statehood. Some critics say he was too romantic. Now the Americans and Israelis are proving him wrong and giving a boost to Hamas.