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The Israeli Blockade on Gaza: Its Effects and Future After Hamas Had The Israeli Blockade on Gaza: Its Effects and Future Ibrahim S. ALzaeem After Hamas had won the legislative elections with vast majority in January 2006, the Israeli occupation, along with Arab and international parties, imposed a severe blockade on the Gaza Strip which affected all life aspects there. 14 years since, this study presents the causes, objectives, effects, and attempts to end the blockade or to reduce its effects. These are displayed under two topics: The blockade and its effects, and attempts to end the blockade and Gaza future. Then the study ends with a conclusion. Topic One: The Blockade and its Effects The Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip is considered one of Israel’s worst crimes against the Palestinian people. Doing this, the occupation prevented 2,000,000 people living in such a small geographical place from enjoying their rights. First: Causes and Stances The causes can be listed at two levels: 1- Political Causes On July 6, 2006, Financial Times published an article written by Gareth Evans and Robert Malley who wrote about the main reason behind the Israeli occupation’s decision to impose a blockade on the Gaza Strip. They said it was the occupation’s desire to prevent Hamas from ruling despite having won the elections1. The two writers added that the strategy followed by Fatah, the Israeli occupation and Arab and western countries was basically to add pressure on Hamas’ government, isolate it, and deprive it from receiving any funds; all of which to incite the Palestinians against Hamas and to quickly end Hams’ period of ruling2. 1 Evans and Malley, Gareth and Robert, How to curb the tension in Gaza, FINANCIAL TIMES, July 5, 2006, https://www.ft.com/content/24572246-0c4c-11db-86c7-0000779e2340. 2 Ibid. 2- Military Causes The Israeli occupation aims to weaken the resistance’ military capacity and end its attempt to arm itself. The blockade decision came after the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was captured on June 25, 2006. The occupation issued a list of more than 3,000 products which were to be banned from entering Gaza so that Hamas would not use them in manufacturing weapons and building military facilities3. The blockade began with Israel not giving the due taxes and charges to the Palestinian Authority. The occupation also took restriction measures regarding workers in the 1948 lands4. It is clear that the political and military objectives of the blockade were not achieved. Despite the severity of the blockade and its impact on the lives of the Palestinians, the Palestinian people in Gaza along with its resistance did not submit to the conditions of the Quatrain hence the resistance was not eliminated despite the 3 wars it was under. Role of International Powers After Hamas had won the elections, the occupation set a group of conditions for dealing with the Palestinian government and circulated it among its ambassadors. The conditions were recognizing the occupation, abandoning the resistance, disarming the resistance and approving the agreements signed between the occupation and the Palestinian Authority5. Israeli-American talks commenced to impose an international blockade on the Palestinian government. Then, the American Administration and EU states announced cutting off diplomatic ties with the Palestinian government, and stopping aids. Their justification was that the Government did not submit to the international Quatrain’s conditions6. 3 Gaza Blockade: From the Beginning, Waiting for the end, AlJAzeera Net, shorturl.at/dmoX1. 4 Saleh and others, Mohsen, The Palestinian Strategic Report of 2006, (Beirut, Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations, 1st ed., 2007), p. 28. 5 Saad, Wael, The Blockade: A Study on the Blockade of the Palestinian People and Attempts to Overthrow Hamas Government, edited by Mohsen Saleh, (Beirut, Al-Zaytouna Centre for Studies and Consultations, 1st ed., 2006), pp. 64-65. 6Ibid: Saleh and others, The Palestinian Strategic Report of 2006, p. 28. The US and Israeli occupation had several justifications, two of which are what Amos Malka said about how Hamas’ winning reflected the Zionist movement’s failure to persuade the Arabs to legalize its presence. The other was what Shimon Peres, former President of Israel, said that Hamas’ ruling meant the occupation’s inability to conclude a settlement agreement that ensures its achievement of strategic interests in the West Bank7. Palestinian and Arab Position The Palestinian Authority demanded Hamas to adhere to the conditions of the International Quatrain and agree on the Arab initiative8. The Arab countries which were directly concerned with the Palestinian affairs could not make any practical moves to oppose the American position. The Egyptian Prime Minister and the Jordanian King asked Hamas government to adhere to Oslo Accords. As for Saudi Arabia, it had a weak position. Syria welcomed Hamas’ winning, and Qatar and Sudan welcomed Hamas’ delegation and pledged to assist the Palestinian government9. Plans to Overthrow Hamas’ Government Several authors and intellectuals accused Arab regimes of colluding with the Israeli occupation and American Administration in imposing the blockade on Gaza. For instance, Abdulhalim Qandil, Egyptian author, believed that the Arab Peace Initiative had turned from ‘peace for land’ to ‘peace for peace’; that is ensuring peace with the Israeli occupation in order for rulers to stay in power10. The accusations were later revealed to be facts as plans to overthrow Hamas surfaced. One of the most important plans in this context is that of Elliot Abrams, which was designed by the American Administration to overthrow Hamas. All following plans were based on it. The plan was to arm and train Fatah fighters so they would face 7 Al-N’ami, Saleh, Palestinian Struggle Dimensions: American Plan to Overthrow Hamas, Middle Eastern Studies Journal, (Middle Eastern Studies Center, 2007), issues 40-41, pp. 129-130. 8 Ibid: Saad, The Blockade: A Study on the Blockade of the Palestinian People and Attempts to Overthrow Hamas Government p. 65 9 Saleh and others, The Palestinian Strategic Report of 2006, p. 29. 10 Abdulhalim, Qandil, Al-Itijah Al-Mu’akis (the Opposite Direction), AlJazeera Channel, November 26, 2008. Hamas’ fighters in Gaza and the West Bank to eliminate Hamas and take over Gaza again. According to the plan, Egypt and Jordan helped arm the security officers of Mahmoud Abbas11. Second: Effects of the Occupation The blockade left severe impacts on all life aspects of the Gaza Strip. It is normal, then, that the effects would intersect and increase the economic, social and psychological pressure on the people of the Strip. Following are the most serious consequences: 1- Health The health sector suffered from clear damage and threatened the work of the health system. The deficit rate of medications reached 45%, the disposables 27% and lab materials and blood banks 58%. Out of 6,100 medical devices, 350 devices are damaged in the MOH’s hospitals. The worst part was preventing patients from travelling for treatment abroad. In 2017 alone, 30 patients, including 12 children, died12 because they were denied their right to travel. The continuous closure of Rafah crossing especially during the first years of the blockade prevented tens of patients from receiving treatment in Egyptian hospitals which led to serious health complications threatening the lives of the patients13. Because of the electricity shortage crisis, the Ministry of Health had to use generators. It has 87 generators that require 450,000 liters of fuel on a monthly basis14. 2- Education Students have also been affected by the blockade. On February 16, 2015, the Israeli occupation declared commencing measures that would reduce the restriction on 11 Ibid: Al-N’ami, Palestinian Struggle Dimensions: American Plan to Overthrow Hamas, p.134. 12 Al-Nashwan, Saad, the Impact of the Occupation Blockade of the Gaza Strip on the Health Sector, Al Mujtama’ Magazine, January 28, 2018 https://mugtama.com/reports/item/67310-2018-01- 28-15-19-06.html 13 Deterioration of the Health Conditions in the Strip due to the Blockade, the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, August 29, 2006, https://pchrgaza.org/ar/?p=7367. 14 Ibid: Al-Nashwan, the Impact of the Occupation Blockade of the Gaza Strip on the Health Sector, Al Mujtama’ Magazine. movement. It gave permits to 50 students who wanted to study in the West Bank. However, on February 18, 2015 the occupation withdrew the declaration and deemed it ‘a typographical error’15. From November 1, 2014 to October 31, 2015; 161 students left Gaza from Beit Hanoun Crossing. However, hundreds others are still incapable of reaching their academic institutions which would make them at the risk of losing their scholarships due to such delays and lack of permits16. 3- Freedom of Movement The Israeli occupation have restricted the movement of the people in the Strip since the beginning of the 1970s. The restrictions were increased in June 2007 when the occupation imposed a ground, air and sea blockade on Gaza under the pretext of security measures. The blockade disrupted the lives of the people and broke down the occupied Palestinian lands, and their economic and social ties17. 4- Electricity Crisis The electricity crisis began in the Gaza Strip in 2006 when the Israeli occupation bombed the only power plant in the Strip. It then shut down entirely. The power crisis passed several stages. At times, the power cuts would last for 8 hours, at others for more than 12 hours which influenced the lives of the Palestinians in the Strip. On normal days, the Strip needs from 450 to 500 megawatts. In winter, though, it needs up to 600 megawatts. This means that the Strip suffers from 50% power deficit. The main causes of the electricity crisis are the limited electricity sources, the increasing need for electricity, and the lack of permanent supplies for the plant due to Israeli obstacles and closure of crossings18.
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