How the Gaza Strip Is Suffocating Under the Israeli Tight Grip: A Ma'an's Interview With an Israeli Official, Colonel Nir Press

The Gaza Strip: subsisting but hardly thriving

Date: 10 / 07 / 2007  Time:  14:01

Gaza - Ma'an - 

When Hamas seized control of the Palestinian Authority institutions and security services in the Gaza Strip in mid-June, Gaza-Israel relations changed overnight. Some might say that they ceased.

However, civilian coordination at the Gaza-Israel crossings continues as before, although with difficulty, the head of the Israeli District Coordination Office in Erez, Col. Nir Press, claimed to Ma'an on 6 July. Nevertheless, there is no Israeli contact with Palestinian officials in the Gaza Strip, and consequently, nothing, and virtually nobody, is allowed to leave the strip and enter Israel.

Israel continues to control all of Gaza's crossing points and borders, including the sea and the air.

Col. Press asserted that whatever international organisations, or private businesses, demand for Gaza, his office can coordinate its entry – as long as no Hamas officials are involved and someone is paying for it.

However, priority is currently given to essential, humanitarian supplies. Goods not classified as essential – including building materials for schools and clinics, and fertilizers for crops – are still prohibited, posing a long-term danger to the livelihoods of Gaza's 1.3 million inhabitants.

Nevertheless, contrary to the reports of international aid agencies, Press claimed that there is no impending humanitarian disaster in the strip.

As for exports, Press said his office cannot currently guarantee that the necessary security checks are carried out on the Gaza side, and therefore, nothing passes through. The Gaza, and the Palestinian, economy is facing severe threat as a result.

Essentials only

Karni Crossing, located east of Gaza City, is Gaza's main import and export crossing point with Israel and the largest by far. Following the Hamas-Fatah fighting, it has partially reopened to allow the transfer of mainly grain.

On 28 - 29 June and 2 - 4 July, grain from Israel passed through Karni Crossing, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) confirmed in its most recent report on the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. For example, on 3 July, a total of 1,600 tonnes of grain entered, the UN reported.

Col. Nir Press explained to Ma'an that a conveyer belt, previously used for transferring building materials, was put into action to enable grain to be transferred mechanically, without the need for human contact or coordination.

The avoidance of human contact, and the priority given to essential supplies, means the crossing is only functioning on a very limited basis.

The UN estimates that 175 truckloads, 5 days a week, must enter Gaza to meet basic needs. The amount of trucks entering the strip now, however, remains far below this level. For example, PalTrade reported that, on July 4, only 50 truckloads (of mainly grains, corn, beans and wheat) entered through Karni. Col. Press confirmed that, on average, 50 trucks of essential foodstuffs currently enter Gaza through Karni every day.

In comparison, in early June, the UN was reporting daily averages of 200-250 trucks entering the Gaza Strip through Karni. In addition, an average of over 30 truckloads was reported at the time to be leaving Gaza on a daily basis. (This still represented only 8% of the target of 400 truckloads of exported goods per day set under the Agreement of Movement and Access of November 2006.)

Col. Press claimed that all the Palestinians' essential needs are still being met and his sources tell him that the markets show no lack of food. He cited that the consuming average per week in Gaza is 350 tonnes, and last week, some 400 tonnes entered Gaza, including non-essential items.

However, the UN reported that, between 25 June and 1 July, humanitarian imports into Gaza through Kerem Shalom, Sufa and Karni Crossings met 70% of the minimum food needs of the Gazan population. This was a significant increase from the previous week, where only 21% of the food needs were met, the UN reported.

Gaza's crumbling economy

However, items not essential for human survival but essential for maintaining one's livelihood and dignity are not being allowed through.

Gazan farmers have complained of the long-term impact of not receiving fertilizers and other chemical products.

The looming crisis was confirmed on 9 July when UNRWA announced that it had been forced to suspend all its construction projects in the Gaza Strip due to a lack of basic building materials.

"Some 93 million dollars worth of projects are on hold because cement and other building supplies have run out," said John Ging, UNRWA’s Gaza director.

As a result, some 121,000 people, previously employed by UNRWA in construction, are again out of a job.

“The closure of the borders means a loss of over a million days of employment, placing an even larger burden on our humanitarian aid program,” said Ging.

According to the Israeli non-governmental organisation GISHA, the Gazan industrial sector is under threat due to the closures. GISHA estimates that over 2,900 factories, out of a total of 3,900 have shut down or are operating at less than 20% capacity. As a result, 30,000 factory workers, who constitute 10% of those working in Gaza and support approximately 210,000 dependents, face losing their jobs, GISHA said in a report published last week.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Federation of Industries, comprising the most significant businesses in Gaza, estimates a daily loss, to the industrial sector, of at least half a million US dollars a day, as a result of the closure of Karni Crossing. This does not include losses in the retail sector, the UN added in its recent report.

Furthermore, more than 1,300 containers of various commercial materials destined for Gaza are stuck at the Israeli seaports due to the cancellation of the Gaza customs code by the Israeli Customs Authority, the UN reported.

"The problem is not only one of food supplies as some Israelis and Palestinians try to demonstrate," the Gaza-based Palestinian economist Omar Sha'ban told Ma'an on 21 June. "The Gaza Strip is an industrial base with hundreds of factories and advanced agricultural source of income and source of exports. Everything has stopped now in addition to the financial deals between Palestinian companies and the world. Palestinians have goods in the middle of the sea which cost millions of dollars to export and are still pending clearance," the economist explained.

Humanitarian supplies

Humanitarian supplies, coordinated through UN agencies and other international organisations, have been entering through Kerem Shalom and Sufa Crossings, both significantly smaller than Karni Crossing.

Sufa Crossing, in the south of the Gaza Strip, was used previously to import primarily building materials into the Gaza Strip. Now it has become the main entry point for essential supplies. Trucks enter from Israel until 3pm, Press said, and then from 3pm onwards, the Palestinian side can enter the crossing and retrieve the goods.

On 4 July, PalTrade reported that approximately 84 truckloads entered Gaza through Sufa, of which the largest proportion was animal feed (42 truckloads). On 5 July, the UN said that 106 truckloads entered the strip through Sufa.

Col. Press added that some 7 million flower bulbs entered Gaza through Sufa last week. But will the flowers, once grown and ready for export to Europe, be allowed out?

Kerem Shalom Crossing, located on the border between Israel, Egypt and the Gaza Strip but controlled by Israel, is normally the main entry point for goods from Egypt. Essential humanitarian supplies also enter Gaza through Kerem Shalom, and Israel has also suggested using it as an alternative pedestrian crossing to the closed Rafah crossing, between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

Currently, however, only around 20 trucks enter Gaza through Kerem Shalom Crossing daily. For example, on 4 July, PalTrade reported that just over 18 truckloads of goods entered the Gaza Strip through Kerem Shalom. The transferred goods included vital humanitarian supplies, fruit, meat, dairy products, eggs, oil, and medical and sanitary supplies.

OCHA has said that the UN, the Palestinian Authority and Israel are striving to increase the capacity of Kerem Shalom Crossing by opening two conveyer belts and enlarging the paved area. It is hoped to increase Kerem Shalom’s capacity to a potential 150 trucks per day.

Palestinians stranded in Egypt

As an estimated 4,000 - 6,000 Palestinians are currently stuck in Egypt, waiting for Rafah Crossing to be reopened to allow them to return home, Israel has offered to allow them passage through Kerem Shalom. However, Palestinian groups have opposed this move, saying this would represent a violation of their rights and sovereignty.

Rafah Crossing, the only crossing point for Palestinians wishing to enter Egypt and access the rest of the world, has been closed since 10 June. International agencies are concerned not only about the fate of these stranded Palestinians but also for the patients in Gaza who require regular access to Egypt and other countries for medical treatment.

Many of the Palestinians stuck in Egypt do not have the funds to continue paying for their medical treatment, let alone food and shelter.

The director of ambulances and emergencies in the Palestinian ministry of health, Dr Mu'awiya Hassanein, declared on 7 July that 28 Palestinians had died in Egypt since 1 June, due to the closure of Rafah Crossing. Of the 28 casualties, 5 had died at the crossing and their bodies had been returned to Gaza, through Kerem Shalom Crossing, with coordination with the Israeli army.

Col. Press said that the issues regarding the reopening of Rafah Crossing are in Egyptian and Hamas hands. The Israeli military is not involved, he said.

Following an agreement in November 2005 to help open up Gaza after the Israeli military withdrew as part of the 'disengagement', some 87 European Union monitors and supervisors were overseeing the Rafah crossing. However, the crossing was frequently closed due to security concerns, even prior to the Hamas takeover of the strip.

On 8 July, the head of the European Union's Border Assistance Mission at Rafah Crossing, Maj. Gen. Pietro Pistolese, announced that the EU monitors intend to return to their duties at the crossing but they are currently monitoring the security situation. Maj. Gen. Pistolese told the Palestine Liberation Organisation's chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, that the EU mission would be reduced in size.

Various Palestinian groups have urged the EU monitors to return so that the crossing can be opened as before. All Palestinian factions – Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular and Democratic Fronts, their armed wings, even the emergency government – oppose making Kerem Shalom the main crossing point for Palestinians into and out of the Gaza Strip, because it would remain controlled by Israel.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, for example, issued a statement warning "that the acceptance of transporting the [stranded] Palestinians through Kerem Shalom is considered as an acceptance of Israeli conditions and the return of the occupation to the strip in order for it to be controlled by the Israeli forces and authorities."

The PFLP added that, by accepting the use of Kerem Shalom crossing, many Palestinians would likely be banned from travelling to Egypt and the rest of the world, or from returning to the strip, because of the Israeli forces.

However, Ashraf Al-Ajrami, the minister for prisoners' affairs in President Abbas' emergency government, told Ma'an on 9 July that, if the stranded Palestinians wish to return to Gaza through Kerem Shalom Crossing, the government would not obstruct such a move.

Entering Israel

Gaza's only other pedestrian crossing, the US$50 million Erez Crossing, between the northern Gaza Strip and Israel, opened for the first time since its closure on 13 June on 4 July for Palestinian traders and currency transfers into Gaza, the UN reported.

Some Gazans needing urgent medical care not available in the strip have entered Israel, thanks to coordination between international health agencies, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the Israeli District Coordination Office in Erez.

From mid-June to 1 July, the ICRC had coordinated the passage of 137 patients from Gaza for hospital treatment in Israel and the West Bank, the UN said. 48 patients crossed Erez in ambulances while the remaining 89 were able to cross on foot, the report clarified.

Dr. Hassanein of the Palestinian ambulance services told Ma'an that 340 Palestinians, comprising patients and their accompanying family members, had entered Israel through Erez between 18 June and 9 July. He confirmed that this took place with the coordination of the ICRC, who he said also paid the Israeli ambulance fees on the Israeli side.

Col. Press added that over 500 people with foreign passports have left the Gaza Strip in recent weeks. He said that a large proportion of them were Russian and Ukrainian nationals, mainly women married to Palestinian men in Gaza.

On the day that Ma'an visited the crossing, the idle taxi drivers told us that approximately 30 people enter Israel through Erez every day. Most are patients requiring treatment, they said, while a few are traders.

Prior to the closure, up to 400 traders were crossing daily into Israel, OCHA said in its most recent report. This was a regular source of income to the economy of the Gaza Strip. Col. Press told Ma'an that the Erez crossing terminal, which from the outside seems as modern and grand as many international airports, has the capacity to handle up to 20,000 travellers daily.

Going the other way, three ICRC doctors also entered the Gaza Strip recently through Erez in order to provide assistance in Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.

Some medical supplies also entered Gaza through Erez Crossing on 28 June, the UN reported. Couriered mail also continues to enter through Erez, Col. Press assured.

On a separate note, Nahal Oz, Gaza's entry point for liquid fuels, runs mechanically, Press told Ma'an. As a result, the pumped transfer of fuel (diesel, petrol and cooking gas) has continued uninterrupted. The UN has confirmed the continued operation of Nahal Oz.

Press explained that the transfer is coordinated between an Israeli and a Palestinian private company and, thus, no government officials are involved.

No exports

Humanitarian supplies may be coming into Gaza, but virtually nothing is leaving the strip. Col. Press said that is due to the lack of a partner in Gaza who can guarantee that the necessary security checks are carried out on the exports. He knew that the Gazan industry was suffering as a result, but, "this is a Palestinian decision," he said.

In particular, the Gazans farmers suffer when they cannot export their fresh produce.

The lack of exports, along with reduced imports, is affecting market prices in the Gaza Strip. A WFP market survey found steep price increases for lemons (55%), cucumbers (13%) and potatoes (67%), while decreased prices for produce that is normally exported, and is therefore flooding the local market (tomatoes, watermelon, melon and local apples, for example).

The UN has warned that the crisis is likely to worsen unless the crossings are opened. “Already, we have seen the WFP report 100,000 additional food aid recipients since the beginning of this crisis," John Holmes, the UN undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator pointed out on 28 July.

"Without a functioning economy, an ever larger share of the population will become dependent on outside assistance for survival to prevent an even worse humanitarian tragedy. I appeal to all concerned, Israelis and Palestinians alike, to do all they can to increase access to Gaza,” added Mr. Holmes.

UNRWA's suspended construction projects included schools, community centres, water works, sewage treatment plants, and medical facilities. The halt in such work also poses "serious public health implications," Ging warned.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is currently providing for the basic food needs of some 377,000 Gazans, while the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, distributes food assistance to 860,000.

Attacks

One of the main problems, Press told Ma'an is that Palestinian groups continue to launch attacks at, or near, the crossing points into Israel. He said that nearly every day there are attacks.

Prior to Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip, the Israeli side had good coordination with their Palestinian counterparts in the Gaza Strip, Press assured Ma'an. For example, in February 2006, Press says that the Palestinian security forces discovered a car, packed with 0.5 tonnes of explosives, heading to carry out an armed attack on Karni Crossing. Armed men from Hamas' armed wing, the Al Qassam Brigades, were uncovered in the other car.

As a result, Karni was closed for some 100 days, Press said.

Similarly, on June 26, explosives were found at Karni, Press said, and the crossing had to be closed again.

In another example, Press recalled that, in August 2006, a tunnel was discovered running from the Shuja'iyya area of Gaza City to Karni Crossing. Again, as a result, the crossing had to be closed.

Also, on an almost daily basis, Palestinian armed groups fire homemade projectiles and mortars at the Israeli military posts at the crossings, forcing them to close.

Such attacks have a direct, negative affect on the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza, Press warned.

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