An Oasis of Hope in Gaza
From my first visit in 1993, the latter days of the first intifada, I have had difficulty describing the people and environment in the Gaza strip. As I wrote in 2009, “[D]espair, destruction, extremism and violence are terms easily at hand, but they do not do justice to life in Gaza today.” Writing from the balcony of the Al-Mathaf (the Museum), a brand new beachfront hotel with a fantastic museum housing an archeological treasure trove documenting the history of Gaza, I still feel incapable of accurately conveying the essence or details of life in Gaza today.
Thirty minutes after seemingly beaming (as if from one planet to another on Star Trek) from the developed to the underdeveloped worlds, a prominent Gaza attorney spoke of his daily challenges: “[W]e exist as people physically segregated from the rest of the world. We do not live in a country but have two governments [the Hamas-run administration in Gaza and the PLO – led Palestinian Authority from Ramallah]. But neither administration controls our borders. As a lawyer, I have to work through Israeli administrative regulations, British Mandate laws, and directives from our two governments. And, I want an independent judiciary system with no corruption.”
Visiting the American International School- yes, such a school does still exist- serves as a little intellectual oasis. Today, about 300 boys and girls, grades K-12, in matching white-and-blue uniforms still attend daily classes in an old building that was once the British Consulate. The school doubles as community center for those families looking for a better life for their kids. It was hard not to be emotional as we watched the faculty first hear about a new project from the United States Agency for International Development that will support scholarships and enhanced academic services that should lead to international accreditation – as one parent put it, “finally, a way forward for our children in this mess.”
A female colleague of mine, who accompanied me with some trepidation, was so overwhelmed not only by the needs but also by the determination of the school community amidst isolation and extremism, that she is now considering staying in Gaza to help manage the USAID-sponsored education project.
The intifada generation may be lost. For Gaza to be successfully reincorporated into the world community, much more in the way of resources and international assistance must be dedicated to prepare the younger generation to be productive members of society – providing for their family and appreciating other people and cultures without violence or resentment. The American International School serves as a test case whether or not such development projects can be successfully implemented in Gaza prior to tangible progress in either Palestinian reconciliation or the Peace Process.
Despite the dire warnings, there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Food is plentiful for those that can afford it. Consumer items, including cars, motorcycles and appliances come through the tunnels from Egypt every day. On the other hand, the socio-economic fabric, what it was, has been shattered. The lethal combination of unemployment, underemployment, massive dependency on outside assistance, and younger demographics (75% of the population are under 25) make the status quo untenable. The families of the American International School in Gaza understand that the hope for a durable peaceful and prosperous future largely rests on the next generation. Policymakers from both side of the aisle need to understand this as well.
“a brand new beachfront hotel with a fantastic museum housing an archeological treasure trove documenting the history of Gaza”
“Food is plentiful for those that can afford it”.
“Consumer items, including cars, motorcycles and appliances come through the tunnels from Egypt every day”.
Does the official US foreign policy support the construction and continued use of these tunnels?
Why don’t you write an honest narrative about life in Gaza instead of making the exceptions appear to be the norm?
What Israel and Egypt are doing to these people is a crime against humanity. US foreign policy supports this Israeli/Egyptian crime and many other war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against these people. This conflict, the suffering of millions of Palestinians as a result, is one of the root causes of anti-US sentiment throughout the Muslim world. Sugar coating the atrocities suffered by these people for domestic consumption won’t lead to a fair and just peace.
Comment on November 16, 2010 @ 9:37 am
Thank you, Mr. Florito. You took the words right out of my mouth. “Food is plentiful for those that [sic] can afford it.” What a deceit-filled statement.
Did you see any tents where people are living instead of the homes that Israel destroyed in the illegal and inhumane bombing of a captive population?
Did you see the list of people who have died because they cannot leave Gaza to get needed medical care?
There are none so blind as those who will not see.
Comment on November 16, 2010 @ 9:46 am
Mr. Fiorito and Linda J. are correct in asserting that this school in Gaza is not reflective of the larger distressed situation in Gaza. However, the fact remains that basic food stuffs are available for almost everyone through the massive local and international assistance services. They are also correct in noting that this does not negate or justify in any way the massive social, economic, and environmental catastrophe in Gaza. This is why I used the word “Oasis” – as in separate from the rest of Gaza.
Jim Prince
Comment on November 17, 2010 @ 12:57 pm
“The lethal combination of unemployment, underemployment, massive dependency on outside assistance, and younger demographics (75% of the population are under 25) make the status quo untenable.” Wha? And what of the really lethal combination of massive destruction by the Israeli military? How did all those buildings and houses get leveled, infrastructure blasted, thousands killed? Operation “Cast Lead” (January, 2009) anyone? And the Goldstone Report? No matter the limitations of the Report, there are international laws and rules of just war that include comparative justice, last resort, and proportionality, among others. Come now, your prose is, I’m assuming, supposed to enlighten not camouflage the reality of life in Gaza, but all you can manage is a mention of Israeli “administrative regulations” as part of the problem. You can do better than this.
Comment on November 17, 2010 @ 4:56 pm
Atrocious Hamas leadership has led the people of Gaza into their current condition. Instead of building an economy that serves the people they have launched missiles on Israel. If Hamas had its way, they would have driven Israelis in the sea. Get honest with cause and effect relationships between Hamas and Israel.
Comment on November 17, 2010 @ 5:55 pm
I think the important word in Mr. Prince’s post is hope. And much of the picture projected to the outside world as the “reality” in Gaza does not inspire hope or investment or development. Perpetuating the myth that, because of all the problems (granted quite severe problems) in Gaza, it is in a state of perpetual and never-ending emergency is ultimately not constructive. I would hope that people interested in seeing more opportunities for the people in Gaza would also sometimes pay attention to the positive developments and news that come out of Gaza (periodically), of which the AISG is a great example.
Comment on November 17, 2010 @ 6:19 pm
I think this is an interesting post which brings to light a different side of Gaza. It not only addresses the improvements of the city but it also mentions the problems that it faces. By mentioning the positive aspects of the country, Mr. Prince shows that there is hope for more improvements.
In my opinion, the reconstruction of the American International School of Gaza, will bring a change in the country. If one wants to build something, it is important to start by making strong bases and providing the fundamental building blocks, which in this case is education for the Gazan children in order to help shape the future for a better Gaza. The reconstruction of school will bring new opportunities to the children, and to their family and ultimately to their society.
Comment on November 17, 2010 @ 7:18 pm
Well done Jim! For those few people who really know… only you have been successful in getting the American International School in Gaza re-opened for 300 deserving pupils. Well done for having successfully negotiated the political and diplomatic as well as military minefields. Please accept my congratulations plus warmest personal wishes.
Comment on November 18, 2010 @ 4:59 am
I delight in reading articles like the latest blog entry of my Godson Jim entitled, “An Oasis of Hope in Gaza. He starts his commentary with From my first visit in 1993, the latter days of the first intifada, I have had difficulty describing the people and environment in the Gaza strip. As I wrote in 2009, [D]espair, destruction, extremism and violence are terms easily at hand, but they do not do justice to life in Gaza today. Writing from the balcony of the Al-Mathaf (the Museum), a brand new beachfront hotel with a fantastic museum housing an archeological treasure trove documenting the history of Gaza, I still feel incapable of accurately conveying the essence or details of life in Gaza today. Several of those critiquing his article have a different perspective. They question a people that build tunnels to send youngsters to harass and cause harm to others, people that lob artillery shells or propel rockets at neighbors, and a people that encourage the deployment of suicide bombers. I too believe that Jim has over dignified these people beyond the point that it is difficult for me to believe any of the noble undertakings he sites. I love Jim – but I find his perception of Palestinian intent is contrary to what is evident in the many Palestinian/Israel conflicts that exist.
Comment on November 18, 2010 @ 8:35 pm
How nice to have rallied the friends, staff (and even a relative) of the Democracy Council to the cause of Jim Prince’s description of Gaza reality as an Oasis of hope. We have, Seevun, another master of hope as our president, and we are witnessing the limits of that rhetoric, are we not? The central matter at hand–unless I am missing the advertisement for a USAID awarded grant in this article–is what the reality is, both political and social, on the ground in Gaza. And that reality, contrary to the Oasis of smiling faces and the “international” school, is bleak rather than hopeful. If anyone here disagrees, I would enjoy hearing the specific reasons for the contrary assessment given recent attempts, once again, to bring “peace to Palestine and Israel.”
What goes missing in this hope crusade and cheer-fest is the fact that Israel is now run by a coalition that includes two political parties whose leaders call openly and explicitly for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from Palestine. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef wishes that a plague would sweep Palestinians away, and that gentiles might be best served by serving menial tasks for Jews. And what might he think of Palestinian labor, and what might American Jews think of his pronouncements?
In fact, two portfolios, the Interior and Construction and Housing, are held by Shas members Eli Yishai and Ariel Atias. Yashai recently opined that only those Jews who converted via the Orthodox way could carry “the Jewish gene,” and Atias has advocated a policy of segregation in housing within Israel, and would even prefer that Orthodox Jews not mix with non-religious neighbors. And need we mention Avigdor Lieberman who openly calls for the ethic cleansing of Palestinian citizens within Israel? And the parties to which these paragons of liberty and justice belong–Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu–are ultra-nationalist, racist, and integral to both the Netenyahu coalition and to Israeli politics as a whole. And Jim Prince knows this, or should know.
And what has this to do with Gaza? Shas and Yisrael Beiteinu are radical right religious parties, and have much more influence over politics on the ground in Gaza than anyone’s God Father, no matter how well-meaning. And Ben Weinbaum’s well-rehearsed riposte re Hamas merely moves the ideological Merry-Go-Round one more circumference: to wit, you mention how bad Israel is and I’ll match you with Hamas (democratically elected with Democracy Council on the watch) “drive them into the sea” scary words. As if they could. If the ideological fools of Hamas would stop the terror campaign, they would immediately take the high moral ground in their struggle, as many Palestinian supporters have advocated for years.
But when it comes to Israeli state violence, the tongues stick to the roof of the mouth, and hope springs to the lips of all those who think that USAID cash and a little elbow grease can deliver us from the hard political realities of never-ending Israeli expansion, the take-over of East Jerusalem for reasons of state, and a “democracy” that must now and forever be defined as Jewish. The late Tony Judt got it right when he labeled Israel the country that “would not grow up,” and Gaza itself is evidence of the fact, regardless of these Hosannas for the most recent grant from USAID that will do little to alleviate the suffering of over 400 thousand people under occupation and military overkill. Even one of the board members for PFASA is much tougher on Israel than Mr. Prince, and Mr. Brzezinski has been around a bend or two in the Middle East.
Cheers,
Comment on November 19, 2010 @ 3:57 am