Fence Building

     In 2005, four years ago, Gaza strip’s Jewish settlements and citizens were evacuated. The questions still being asked by Palestinians and Israelis alike revolve around whether this was really a good idea. Ghassan Khatib writes from a Palestinian viewpoint that Israel undermined the Mahmoud Abbas’  leadership position among the Palestinians by Israeli withdrawal of the occupied territory.  Khatib maintains that the withdrawal from Gaza guaranteed that there would not be a two state Palestinian unification which allows these fragmented states to be pushed to other countries, such as Egypt for Gaza and Jordan for the West Bank, for economic dependency. The unilateral Israeli pull out from Gaza put a plug into “negotiating and finding a peaceful settlement to the conflict.” Israeli Unilateralism Undermines the Peace Process by Ghassan Khatib, Bitterlemons.org Aug. 8, 2009.

     

   Yossi Alpher, an Israeli viewpoint, notes that Ariel Sharon’s decision not to negotiate with Abbas about the withdrawal was a mistake. I disagree when he says that Abbas’ failure was because he did not “capitalize on the withdrawal and generous international aid offered the Palestinian Authority for Gaza reconstruction.” In the previous statement regarding Sharon, it shows that without the open communication between both sides it would have been impossible for Abbas to take advantage of all the things that would lead to state-building in Gaza. Alpher notes that pulling out the Jewish settlers instead of allowing them to become part of a bi-national state changed the demographics of Gaza by changing the economics of the area as well as by the destruction of all the buildings, business, and schools used by the Jewish settlers. He also mentions that although it should have been a good demographic move for Israel to obtain the settlers, it turns out that a good many these Jewish settlers are not yet settled in Israel four years later. I think Alpher makes a good point that Gaza is currently barricaded on three sides by Israel (this includes the sea) and that Egypt closed its borders to Gaza causing great economic upheaval and lack of opportunity for growth. Although it is important to note that Hamas and other terrorists in Gaza do take advantage of open borders to smuggle in arms, on that point they also do not wait for open borders but dig tunnels to obtain arms as well as food and other supplies. He suggests that the “economic warfare” at the present needs to halt before anything more will happen toward a viable state and toward peace. We Can Do Better by Yossi Alpher, Bitterlemons.org, Aug, 8, 2009.

     Today Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, carried an article by Chaim Levinson regarding Ehud Olmert’s statements to an investigative committee about the Gaza Disengagement (such a polite term) during Sharon’s reign as prime minister. Olmert says he supported the withdrawal of Gaza and that it was “carried out at the right time.” Olmert believed that the only option was unilateral evacuation of Gaza if negotiations with Palestinian Authorities failed. Of course former president George Bush’s name came up because he wrote a letter which said that “Israel’s borders do not necessarily have to return to the 1967 borders in order to reach an agreement.” Bush was of the opinion that “Palestinian authorities were responsible for finding a solution to the Palestinian refugee problem.” If the borders do not give a little by providing a state for the Palestinians, just how are they supposed to find a solution and where are they supposed to go? Olmert: Gaza Disengagement Carried Out At The Right Time By Chaim Levinson, Haaretz Correspondent, Sep. 9, 2009.

     Former Israeli Defense Force Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General (retired) Moshe Yaalon thought that the Disengagement of Gaza was a big mistake and allowed Hamas to control Gaza. He said that “the fact that there is no one to speak to on the other side doesn’t mean that we can ignore the other side and the effects of our actions upon them.” I think this is the most profound statement I have read that pretty much sums up what happened and what not to do in order to avoid the same mistake again. Although, Yaalon also comments on the fact that if Israel keeps withdrawing from one thing or another, the Arab world perceives this as weakness. Former Chief of Staff: Sharon’s Disengagement a Disaster by Ezra HaLevi, Arutz Sheva (Israel National News), June 7, 2009.

     I think a revisit of the unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza strip is important now because there is international talk of a unilateral withdrawal of Jewish settlers in the West Bank. I do not mean to minimize the dangers associated with allowing some factions of the Palestinian community prone to terrorist activities but I think the majority of people would like to just get on with their lives – make a living, go to school, develop business, and etc. I think that communication lines must be kept open or at least try to keep the lines open even if there is still uncertainty on how the Palestinians will form a government and maintain a state. And if the Jewish settlers want to set up camp in the West Bank, let them. When the time is ripe for that area to becoming a self-governing state, then those settlers should have a choice – either move to Israel or become part of a new state. While we Jews are used to building fences around Torah, it is not conducive to the world economy or the world of human beings to build fences or walls around cities anymore.