The truth about Gaza and Gazans

By Mordechai Ben-Menachem

Gaza is not a prison as many claim.

Israel does not, and never has kept people from leaving Gaza or any part of the Gaza Strip area, however, Israel does generally, though not always, limit freedom of movement of person that leave Gaza via Israeli territory.  Of course, anyone is perfectly free to leave Gaza directly or through Egypt.

Unfortunately, Hamas, which in additional to being a terror organisation, is also a criminal organisation, does sometimes limit persons from leaving Gaza or demand from them payment of a large ransom to do so.

Therefore, if Gaza, in any way, resembles a “prison” which we refute categorically, it is not via Israeli actions but by actions of the Hamas Government of the Gaza Strip.

Israel has, many times, aided people who wished to leave Gaza; some of these via Israeli territory and some via Egypt.

Disengagement

In 2005, Israel disengaged from Gaza totally and completely.  There are no Israeli or Jewish residents.
Even the graves were removed.

Claims that are still made concerning “Israeli occupation” of Gaza are lies and disingenuous.  As we see from above that residents are also free to leave, at any time – other than limitation of movement placed upon them by their local government – such claims are completely spurious.

An Historical sketch

Throughout history, from the time of Salah-a-din (Saladin) until the British Mandate, Gaza City always had either a large Jewish plurality or majority (Napoleon, when he came to conquer the Holy Land, circumvented Gaza stating that it is a Jewish City and there is no reason to conquer it).

In 1929, the British confiscated Jewish property in Gaza and expelled all the Jews, handing over the property to Arabs.  It should be noted that according to Joan Peters (From Time Immemorial) and others, most of these new residents were forcibly transferred by the British – which would explain why the idiolect spoken in Gaza markedly differs from that of Jenin or Hebron, and why Gazans and Hebronis do not intermarry.

However, with that, there are two distinct Gazan populations, the Town/City dwellers that are described above and the 1948 “refugees” and their descendants (including those brought in later by the Clinton-sponsored import from Tunis).

From a personal viewpoint, as a person who lived IN Gaza City (albeit some years ago, of course), and sat with Gazans in coffee shops, spoke with them, frequented Gazan tailors and artisans and etcetera. These two groups are quite different.  The Gaza City dwellers, the ‘original Gazans’, are quite normal people.  They agitated strongly against Israeli abandonment of Gaza.  They quite strongly disagreed with the importation of the “Tunis people.”

Of course, Hamas is composed primarily of Tunis people and they have suppressed the Gaza City/Town dwellers.

There is another difference between the Gazans and the so-called refugees.

Work ethics and Poverty

Gaza City/Town dwellers have been described here, above, as ‘normal people’.  That is to say, they think and act as most people would expect that people would.

The other population do not work as principle; they live from funds ‘contributed’ from abroad.

As stated, many people do not wish to leave Gaza – once again, “do not wish to leave” – we are not discussing those who cannot because Hamas disallows this (Hamas tightly controls freedom of movement, even within the Gaza Strip).

Generally, Gazans City dwellers can raise the necessary ransom to ay Hamas to leave, if they so choose (unless they are members of professions that are not allowed to leave).

However, the ‘other residents’ very rarely desire to leave – if they leave, they will need to work to support themselves. This is something they have not needed to do, them or their parents or their grandparents, for some seventy years.  Why would they desire to work if they can get money from Qatar, the Emirates and the EU?

This absolute refusal of employment is THE central issue in Gazan poverty.

Remember, when there were Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip, this area exported goods, mostly agricultural goods, on the order of one hundred million dollars per year.  Gazan exports under Hamas are zero.

When the Disengagement was implemented, ALL means of production, from Greenhouses through processing facilities were left in place.  The primary works in these facilities has always been Gazans.  They possessed all the knowhow needed to operate these facilities and to continue to export and economically flourish.  Gaza has today, as it has for thousands of years, a port facility that could be applied for export.  Israel has made every attempt to encourage this.

Hamas, within two weeks of taking over, totally burnt down all such facilities.

Gazan exports are zero as a primary policy choice.