Ten Years Later On September 11, 2005, the last Israeli soldier ostensibly left the Gaza Strip. Israel’s policy ever since has condemned Gaza’s residents to a life full of uncertainty and peril, devoid of hope. It seems that many in Israel realize the mistakes that have been made. The situation can and must be rectified immediately. In mid-August 2005, Israel began has no obligation to allow travel to and from implementing its plan to disengage from Gaza through the border crossings it Gaza. Within less than a month, on controls, and its policy on movement has September 11, 2005, its last troops exited been based on the premise that travel, when the territory. The rhetoric that ensued was granted, is an exceptional act of charity that 38 years of occupation had come to an guided by narrow criteria. In March 2006, end, but in fact, Israel has maintained Israel stopped allowing laborers from Gaza control over the movement of both people to enter Israel via Erez Crossing. Just before and goods into and out of the Gaza Strip. It the Second Intifada broke out in 2000, more prohibits travel and trade by sea and air, and than 26,000 Palestinian laborers entered prevents passage between the two parts of Israel via Erez Crossing every day. the Palestinian territory. It also controls The blanket ban on travel between Gaza and access to areas of land inside the Strip and Israel has cut off thousands of Gaza fishing access in Gaza’s own territorial residents from their relatives and denied tens waters. In this way and others, Israel of thousands job opportunities and continues to impact almost every aspect of opportunities for personal and professional life of all of Gaza’s 1.8 million residents. development. Denying travel between Gaza On paper, in statements, and in action, Israel and the West Bank is an aspect of Israel’s acknowledges the duty to prevent a “separation policy”, which is designed to humanitarian disaster in Gaza, but it does separate the two parts of the Palestinian not regard itself as committed to doing territory. The result is not just a violation of anything above the minimum required to individual rights, but also an impediment to keep such a disaster at bay. Since Hamas economic, social and cultural development took over internal control in the Gaza Strip in the Palestinian territory as a whole, which in 2007, Israel has enforced a tight closure, are basic conditions for exercising the right including further restricting movement of to self-determination. people and goods. The closure has prevented Because of the severe restrictions imposed development and impacted innocent on travel of people between Gaza and Israel, civilians in Gaza, and beyond that, by travel from Gaza to third countries takes unraveling Gaza’s economy, has stunted place mainly through Rafah Crossing, which growth in the Palestinian territory as a is controlled by Egypt. However, since the whole. regime change in Egypt in 2013, passage Restrictions on movement of people through the crossing is severely restricted and the crossing itself remains mostly Since the implementation of the disengagement plan, Israel contends that it closed, thus further exacerbating Gaza’s abroad, and most of those as part of a isolation from the world. subsidized project rather than reflecting actual economic activity. In November Restrictions on movement of goods 2014, after Operation Protective Edge and Currently, all commercial transit of goods the destruction it left in its wake, Israel takes place via Kerem Shalom Crossing, began allowing certain products from Gaza which is controlled by Israel. Egypt does not to be sold in the West Bank and in March allow cross border commerce via the 2015 began allowing limited sale of Egyptian-controlled Rafah crossing.The tomatoes and eggplants in Israel. The closure of the Sufa and Nahal Oz crossings permission to sell these specific items in (in 2007 and 2010 respectively) and the Israel came as a special measure for closure of Karni (in 2007 and its conveyer “shmita”, a year during which, according to belt in 2011) thus left Kerem Shalom as Jewish custom, farmland cultivated by Gaza’s sole commercial crossing. Jewish farmers is left to lay fallow. Given ongoing restrictions and quotas on exit of Israel’s policy on entrance of goods to Gaza goods, as well as the complex requirements has undergone several changes over the last and thus costs involved in transporting decade. In the years following Hamas’ rise goods, sales remain limited and have to power in Gaza, between 2007-2010, Israel provided only a small measure of financial restricted entrance of goods to Gaza to a list benefit to few people. of several dozen types of items. After the flotilla incident of May 2010 and the public Restrictions on movement within Gaza criticism that followed, the policy changed, and its territorial waters and since July 2010, civilian goods are Israel also restricts freedom of movement permitted to enter Gaza, with the exception within Gaza. Military forces and of items defined as “dual-use”, on the claim installations deployed on the Israeli side of that they can be used for military purposes the border fence make use of live fire, often as well. The list contains patently civilian with deadly results, to enforce a prohibition goods, which are critical for Gaza’s on entry into an area designated by Israel as reconstruction, infrastructure, and industry, a buffer zone. This is a strip of land including basic construction materials stretching 300 meters into Gaza’s territory, (cement, gravel and steel). Recognizing the all along its border with Israel. Farmers are need to repair the massive damage caused ostensibly permitted to work lands up to a during Operation Protective Edge, a distance of 100 meters from the fence, but mechanism was set up to allow controlled it’s unclear how the army determines who is entry of construction materials, however, the and is not a farmer. The fact that the military pace at which construction materials have presumes to distinguish between farmers entered Gaza under this mechanism meets and non-farmers without using any sort of just a fraction of the demand. coordination mechanism puts lives at risk For seven years, Israel imposed a blanket and effectively prevents farming, harming ban on the sale of Gaza-made and -grown landowners’ livelihoods and reducing goods in Israel and the West Bank, which Gaza’s overall agricultural output. were traditionally Gaza’s most important Israel allows fishing in Gaza’s territorial markets. During these years, the volume of waters up to a distance of six nautical miles goods shipped out of Gaza was miniscule, off the coast, and has occasionally restricted with just a few trucks every month going the distance to three nautical miles only. commercial access. As a consequence, Gaza These restrictions are also often enforced developed a dependence on access to with live fire. In addition to putting lives in employment and markets in Israel and a danger, the restrictions have significantly reliance on Israel for maintaining civilian impacted livelihoods and reduced fishing infrastructure, including for its purchase of output in Gaza. fuel, electricity and water. Gaza and the West Bank, which continue to share a single A decade of mistakes economy, a single education system, a single In the decade that has passed since the healthcare system and countless familial, implementation of the disengagement plan, cultural and social ties, are also reliant on violence has spiraled in three major Israel to allow passage between the two escalations. The years of closure have areas. weakened moderates in Gaza and have With the implementation of the clearly not improved the security of Israeli disengagement plan, Israeli authorities residents in surrounding communities. More propagated the position that Gaza is an than 70% of Gaza’s population receives independent entity, separate from both Israel humanitarian aid and about 57% suffer from and the West Bank and that Israel no longer food insecurity. Gaza’s unemployment rate bears any responsibilities toward its is over 40% - and is nearly 60% among residents. This position is categorically young people. Gaza’s economic stagnation false. is such that its current GDP is lower than it was twenty years ago. All this, in addition to Gaza’s dependence on Israel and Israel’s severe shortages in electricity and clean control over Gaza result in a duty on Israel’s drinking water and grave need for improved part to do whatever it can, subject to civilian infrastructure, hundreds of schools legitimate security considerations, to allow and tens of thousands of homes. Gaza’s residents to lead normal lives. A decade after the disengagement, the time has Israel does not bear sole responsibility for come to reverse the tragic mistakes that have this dire situation, but decisions it made in been made, including first and foremost, the years before and after the disengagement ongoing, unacceptable and unnecessary have played a key role in producing and restrictions on movement. Instead, Israel maintaining it. Prior to the disengagement, should adopt a strategy based on generating Israel failed to invest in developing hope for the people of the region – infrastructure in Gaza, destroyed its seaport Palestinians and Israelis alike. and airport, and has prevented independent Gaza Fact Check: 10 myths for 10 years of disengagement Ten years ago, Israel removed its settlements and military installations from inside the Gaza Strip; a move that remains controversial in Israel to this day and continues to shape the lives of millions of people. The “Disengagement Plan”, as it was called, was the most dramatic step in Israel’s policy toward the Gaza Strip in the last few decades, and as such, gave rise to more than a few myths and misconceptions.