The Gaza Strip

Gaza: The Facts

 Total Population - 1,500,202
 Population Density - 4117 per sq km
 Fertility Rate - 5.19 children/woman
 Total Refugees - 1,059,584
 Refugees as % of Population - 70%
 Unemployment - 45.5%
 Average Age - 17.2 years - some estimates have put the median age at 15.3.
 Life Expectancy - 73.16 years
 % dependant on foreign aid - 86%

Since the war by the numbers

From the Israeli organization Gisha, The Legal Center for Freedom of Movement.

Despite the fact that a year has passed since the start of the Gaza military operation, the damage caused by three weeks of war and the near total closure preceding it has yet to be repaired. The reason: Israel’s ongoing policy blocking goods from entering the Gaza Strip, including a near total ban on reconstruction materials.

Funds for Reconstruction:

• Reconstruction funds pledged at the Sharm Ash-Sheikh Summit Some $4.5 billion.

• Number of months international community negotiated with Israeli government over mechanism for transferring reconstruction funds and materials: Nine months.

• Implementation of mechanism for transferring reconstruction funds and materials: None.

Housing:

• During the war: Some 3,500 homes were completely destroyed, some 2,800 sustained heavy damage, and some 54,000 were lightly damaged.These homes housed about 325,000 people.

• Policy on import of construction materials (cement, glass, iron) prior to the war: Banned, few humanitarian exceptions.

• Policy on import of construction materials today: Construction materials (cement, glass, iron, etc.) banned; 19 trucks of mostly cement and gravel permitted to enter for exceptional humanitarian projects.

• Needed to rebuild homes: At least 40,000 tons of cement, 25,000 tons of iron.

Humanitarian Infrastructure (Electricity, Water and Sewage):

• During the war: Seven out of 12 electric lines were shut down; the power station operated only 50% of the time. One million people were without electricity, and half a million people were without running water.

• Needed prior to the war to repair and maintain infrastructure: 172 types of spare parts that were either completely out of stock or were below minimum supply; 3.5 million liters/week industrial diesel for power station.

• Needed today to repair and maintain infrastructure: 240 types of spare parts that are either completely out of stock or are below minimum supply; 3.5 million liters/week industrial diesel for power station.

• Policy on import of materials prior to the war: Industrial diesel supply for power station limited to no more than 63% of need; parts stood idly for months in warehouses in Israel and the West Bank? due to the restrictions and delays on their import into the Gaza Strip.

• Policy on import of materials for infrastructure today: Permission granted exceptionally for the entrance of fewer than 100 trucks carrying spare parts and building materials; industrial diesel still limited to no more than 63% of need.

• Repercussions: 40,000 people have no electricity; 10,000 have no running water; power outages eight hours a day, four days a week for most areas; 87 million liters of untreated or partially treated sewage dumped into the sea daily for lack of electricity and spare parts.

Economy:

• During the war: More than 1,000 factories, businesses and private sector institutions were damaged, at an estimated cost of $45 million.

• Policy on import of goods prior to the war: Just 25% of the demand for goods was met (2,500 trucks per month versus 10,400); fewer than 40 kinds of items permitted (versus some 4,000 prior to the closure); ban on import of raw materials for industry and on export.

• Policy on import of goods today: Just 25% of the demand for goods is met, permitting entrance of about 60 kinds of goods; ban on import of raw materials for industry and on export.

• Repercussions: Some 97% of factories have remained closed; 42.3% unemployment in the third quarter of 2009 (compared to 32.3% unemployment in June 2007); 80% of the population dependent on food aid.

Education:

• Policy on import of school supplies prior to the war: Banned, except for UNRWA schools.

• Policy on import of school supplies today: Banned, except for UNRWA schools.

Gaza: Retrospective of events

1948 Arab-Israeli War - Gaza Strip’s boundaries were defined by the 1949 Armistice and placed under Egyptian rule to be held in trust for a future Palestinian state.

1956 Suez-Sinai War - The Gaza Strip was occupied by Israel. A year later they withdrew their troops and a UN Emergency Force was placed in the Gaza Strip.

1967 War - Israel recaptured the Gaza Strip on June 5th. In November of the same year, UN Security Council called for the ‘withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict’.

1970 - The first settlement, Kfar Darom, was built in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli settlement movement continued to expand as did confrontations between settlers and Palestinians.

1987 - The first Palestinian Intifada and Hamas, an Islamic Resistance Movement, begin in Gaza. The Intifada comes to an end with the signing of the Oslo Accord and establishment of the PA in 1993.

2000 - The Camp David Summit renewed hopes for peace until Ariel Sharon’s visit to the al-Aqsa Mosque sparks the Second Intifada in September.

2005 –Ariel Sharon ‘disengages’ from the Gaza Strip in September – unilaterally and without consultation or coordination with the the Palestinian Authority. Though the settlers are gone, Israel maintains effective contol of the Strip.

2006 – Hamas wins the January Parliamentary Election by a landslide. Israel and the international community place sanctions on Palestine and withhold VAT. Tensions grow within Palestine between factions.

2007 -Violent clashes erupt between Fatah and Hamas in Gaza, resulting in Hamas securing control of the Strip. Egypt responds by sealing off the border.

2008 - On January 17th Israel sealed off the borders to Gaza following a rise in rocket attacks. They retain full control over the amount of medical supplies, food and fuel imported to the Gaza Strip by land or sea. In June 19th, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire. As this goes to print, they are fighting again (Nov).

The Constant Crisis in Gaza

The Gaza Strip has been facing a humanitarian crisis ever since April of 2006, when border closings and the lack of foreign aid caused a severe shortage of fuel, foods and medical care. Gazans suffer shortages of essen-tial commodities and the rise in market prices has made it difficult for families to have an adequate, healthy and balanced diet.

The Karni crossing, which serves as the main conduit for commercial goods into Gaza, has been closed since June 13th, 2007. This has devastated the Gazan economy. ”In June 2007, there were 748 truckloads of ex-ports leaving Gaza for Israel and other countries. A month later there were none”.

In Gaza over 80% of Palestinians are now depending on foreign aid compared to 63% of 2006. Unem-ployment in Gaza is close to 40% and is set to rise to 50%. The private sector – that generates 53% of all jobs in Gaza is crumbling.

The health sector remains unstable as the severe lack of fuel causes power cuts. According to the July 2007,UNRWA Gaza Situation Report, primary and secondary health care facilities are still functioning de-spite shortages of electricity and supplies such as X-ray film, laboratory kits, patient beds and examination tables. However there are ongoing shortages of chronic disease drugs and anaesthetics, and a considerable portion of equipment and machines are out of order, overloading the remaining capacity of hospitals.

WHO reports that at least 51 people have died from October 2007-July 2008 as a direct result of not being able to access medical care outside Gaza – among these were 11 children.

The fuel shortage and the lack of spare parts required to repair and upgrade Gaza’s wastewater treatment plants have forced the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility to continue dumping approximately 84,000 m3 of raw and partially treated sewage into the Mediterranean Sea each day.

Connecting Gaza and the West

One of the most complex aspects of the peace process has always concerned the necessity for a link between the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A series of proposals and ideas have been floated. One suggesting a land corridor be-tween the two which would be ‘bought’ in landswaps with Israel coming from the West Bank; another a bridge; and still another suggests building a tunnel. The geographical complexities of the issue have kept negotiators and their advisors up at night.

What has kept the rest of us awake is the way in which the Gaza and the West Bank can be reunited politically and socially following the tragic schism of 2007. While the PA was at work preparing itself for negotiations on the geographic complexities, it quickly became clear that moving forward in the peace process with Israel hinged upon prior national reconciliation and the formation a national unity government.

Sporadically throughout 2008, attempts were made to bring the two major factions together, but it was not until the closing months of the year (as this goes to print) that there appeared to be any sort of breakthrough.

Reconciliation will not however make negotiations any easier. In fact, allow-ing Hamas any say in the process might cause Israel to reject them on the premise that the party are neither part of the PLO nor credible partners for peace.

Because of these conflicting realities, 2009 promises to be a very delicate year. The PLO and PA are now clinging to an emergency mandate that began in 2007. The legitimacy of the emergency government has been questioned throughout, but maintains its hold on power through the promise of being able to make tangible improvements in people’s lives by moving towards a negotiatied two-state settlement.

The inability to do so will increase support for Hamas. Furthermore, not co-opting Hamas into the process gives them immense power to disrupt prog-ress. Meanwhile the people of the West Bank and Gaza Strip drift further and further apart.