Israel’s invisible hands in Gaza

January 20, 2007

By: Amir Fadlullah

Although Israel withdrew from Gaza Strip more than 18 months ago, its control over the lives of Palestinians is still there and in many ways even tighter than before the so-called Gaza withdrawal, that took place in August 2005.

A study by an Israeli human rights organization is disputing for the first time what has been said over the past year and half, since Ariel Sharon the then Israeli Prime Minister declared "the end of Israeli control over and responsibility for the Gaza Strip", in his address to the United Nations.

Gisha, the Israeli Legal Centre for Freedom of Movement, challenges the claim that Israel doesn’t occupy Gaza Strip any more.

"Israel's withdrawal of settlements and its permanent military ground installations from the Gaza Strip did not end Israeli control of Gaza but rather changed the way in which such control is effectuated," according to the report, entitled, "Disengaged Occupiers: The Legal Status of Gaza".

Gisha said it aims to "protect the fundamental rights of Palestinians living in the Occupied Territories by imposing human rights law as a limitation on the behavior of Israel's military".

"Israel continues to control Gaza through an 'invisible hand'," the organization said in its 100-page report.

According to Sari Bashi, co-author of the report, Israel still controls the border crossings, airspace, import-export points and even electricity supply and the passport register, which has its clear and negative impact on each and every aspect of Palestinian’s life.

The report said that "Gaza residents know that significant aspects of their lives - the ability to exit or enter Gaza, the supply of medicine, fuel and other basic goods, the possibility to transport crops to export markets, the ability to use electric lights - depend on decisions made by Israel's military."

And since the Israeli occupation of the territories hasn’t been ended as claimed, the report argues, then the Israeli government should be responsible for the wellbeing of the Palestinians living in Gaza.

The report also referred to the continuous Israeli military pressure on the Strip.

It cited the closure of Karni crossing by the Israeli government to exports for most of 2006, which resulted in estimated $30 million losses in the first quarter of the same year.

"During that time, farmers destroyed their crops, donated them, or left them to rot in the fields, because they could not get them out of Gaza and to export markets," the report said.

Also Israel’s security restrictions at the Erez border crossing from Gaza prevented Palestinians from entering Israel, blocking by that one of the major source of income for thousands of Palestinian workers since March 12, 2006, according to the United Nations.

Even after it withdrew its settlers and soldiers from Gaza Strip in August 2005, Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt remained closed for 148 days, which means that "Gaza was cut off from the outside world 42 percent of the time," the report added.

Besides its control over borders, airspace, territorial waters, population registry, tax system and supply of goods, Israel also continues to patrol the coastline claiming it seeks preventing arms smuggling into the Strip.

The report also highlighted how Israel has removed some of its elements of control while significantly tightening others.

"In contrast to the rhetoric used to describe the disengagement plan, Israel has not relinquished control over Gaza but rather removed some elements of control while tightening other significant controls."

While there are no Israeli soldiers on the frontier any longer, Israel's co-operation is needed for the border crossing to function under an agreement struck between Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt and the European Union.

But Israel’s co-operation had always been absent and the border was closed for nearly half of the first year after Israel’s alleged withdrawal from the Strip.

Israel’s strict measures and tight grip over the flow of goods in and out of the territory had a devastating impact on the Palestinian economy.

"The results of these controls have been devastating and have helped plunge Gaza into an economic and humanitarian crisis unprecedented in nearly four decades of occupation," the report said.

"Far from improving the economy and welfare of Gaza residents, Israeli actions since September 2005 - including severe restrictions on the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza and an economic stronghold on the funding of civil services - have contributed to an economic and humanitarian crisis in Gaza not seen in the 38 years of Israeli control that preceded the withdrawal of permanent ground troops."

The report also pointed out that Israel has retained control of the Palestinian population registry, which means that Israel now decides who can be a resident of Gaza - and who can come and go.

Tens of thousands of people have been barred from the registry, the report said, and thus have no identity papers.

Since 2000, with few exceptions, Israel has not allowed additions to the Palestinian Population Registry. Tens of thousands of Gaza residents, who entered Gaza on visitor permits and married locals can’t leave as they won’t be allowed to return.

This resulted in a noticeable surge in unemployment rate which has risen between 2005 and 2006 from 33.1 per cent to 41.8 per cent, and a decline in the Gross Domestic Product by an estimated 30 per cent, according to the report.

The report summed up the devastating impact Israel’s continued control over the territories by saying that despite the declaration of ending its 38-year military occupation of the Gaza Strip in August 2005, Israel maintains its occupation of the territories which makes it bound under international law to allow freedoms of movement and economic activity.

"So long as Israel exercises control over civilian life in Gaza,” the report concluded, it will continue to owe obligations to those civilians whose lives depend on the decisions of a foreign military power."