Punishing who?

Today I was asked to prepare a short briefing on the Israeli blockade on Gaza. This is a really tough one (as you can see from my previous blog entry and the comments I received).

First, a bit of background on the blockade. In June 2007, Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in a somewhat bloody battle with Fatah. In response, Israel tightened its closure on the Gaza Strip, initially for fear that goods entering Gaza would be used for military purposes.

In September 2007, Israel's security cabinet declared the Gaza Strip a "hostile entity." The decision allowed the authorities to restrict the movement of people and goods in response to rocket fire. According to Gisha, an Israeli organisation that works on freedom of movement, the cabinet decision effectively authorizes collective punishment against civilians, because it allows Israel to impose restrictions, not in response to a concrete security threat, but rather as a means of exercising pressure on Hamas.

Since 2007, Palestinians are almost completely barred from leaving the Gaza Strip, apart from exceptional humanitarian cases. Israel has limited the amount of fuel entering and blocked the import of building materials and most kinds of goods. According to B'Tselem, the fuel shortage directly affects the water and sewage systems in the Gaza Strip. Some 30 percent of Gazans are denied regular water supply because of the cuts in electricity.

According to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in the period before the blockade, an average of 583 truckloads of goods and humanitarian supplies entered Gaza. During the two years that followed, an average of 112 truckloads entered, less than a fifth of the previous number. Prior to the blockade, some 4,000 items were imported into Gaza from Israel. Currently, Israel allows 35 items, of which 74 percent are basic foodstuffs, although the number of items changes regularly. On average, four truckloads of construction material enter Gaza per month, 0.05 percent of the number entering prior to the blockade. A system of smuggling goods through tunnels has developed in response.

The closure intensified when a partial ceasefire between Hamas and Israel collapsed in November 2008. This led to a new wave of rocket attacks into Israel and the war in Gaza. According to OCHA, during the war, about half a million residents were affected by the frequent shutting down of the Gaza power plant, including their sanitation, water and power supply. 60 percent of the population received running water only once every 5-7 days and sewage poured onto the streets.

A year after the war, the situation remains critical. The destruction from the war has not been cleared away. Very little has been repaired or rebuilt, including hospitals, schools, factories and power stations. Dozens of families are still homeless, the health system is weak and the economy in tatters.

I do not pretend to know the way out of this mess. But, the failure of the authorities on both sides to differentiate between combatants and civilians, between military and non-military targets, is the most dangerous legacy left behind.

Yes, people on both sides have elected their leaders, but this does not justify indiscriminate attacks and reprisals against them. When you punish an entire group of people for the actions of their authorities or armed forces, it is called collective punishment, and it is prohibited under international law. When you label an entire group of people as hostile you silence the voices of reason.

Hamas's incessant rocket attacks have punished the civilians of southern Israel. Israel's response, a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, has punished the civilians of Gaza. Worse, neither strategy has worked. Hamas' actions strengthen the anti-peace camp in Israel. Israel's actions strengthen Hamas' popularity in Gaza.

I am all in favour of being tough on terror, but not to the detriment of our humanity.

9 days to go...