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Is humanitarianism in Gaza a continuation of war by other means?
Written by: Alex Klaushofer
A Palestinian boy looks on as food supplies are distributed at the Deir al-Balah food distribution centre in the Gaza Strip, Jan. 21, 2009.
REUTERS/Jerry Lampen
REUTERS/Jerry Lampen
HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you think humanitarian aid is being used a political tool in Gaza? If so, what should be done about it? Please add your comments at the bottom of the page. The bombing may have stopped - for now at least - but the hard questions about Gaza's humanitarian crisis are only just beginning to emerge. The most pressing issue is how aid agencies are going to meet the enormous needs facing them. Even before the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Gaza's 1.5 million inhabitants were enduring their worst conditions for over 40 years, agencies said last year, with 80 percent of the population dependent on food aid. Now, an estimated 50,000 people are homeless, with tens of thousands lacking power, water and sanitation, as well as food and medical treatment. As the first images of the toll on Gaza's infrastructure are published, it's clear the scale of the destruction is huge. Early estimates from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics calculate that 4,100 houses were destroyed and a further 17,000 seriously damaged. Beyond the traditional humanitarian basics of food, shelter and water, aid agencies are determined to meet some of the psychological needs of the traumatised population, with the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) identifying mass counselling and education as priorities. Now that the two parallel ceasefires called by Israel and Hamas have brought relative peace, aid agencies have begun pouring into Gaza. But so far, very few Gazans have received any aid at all - just 11 percent, according to CARE. BLOCKADE TO HAMPER RECONSTRUCTION The main obstacle is Gaza's border crossings with Israel, closed since Hamas took power 18 months ago and a major source of Israeli anxiety about the smuggling of Hamas weapons. The Israeli authorities are allowing some humanitarian supplies through but say fully reopening the borders is out of the question while their enemy remains in power. The issue is already hampering prospects for reconstruction. On his first assessment mission into Gaza, U.N. emergency relief coordinator John Holmes made it plain that rebuilding simply won't be possible if the blockade prevents construction materials getting into the area. Meanwhile, disputes are already erupting about who should be in charge of the reconstruction effort, which is likely to cost billions, according to the United Nations. Israel, its western allies and the EU want at all costs to prevent aid falling into Hamas hands by going directly into Gaza. Their Fatah rivals, the Palestinian Authority, would love the job, but their geographical and political base in the West Bank means they lack the local contacts and credibility to get aid to the right beneficiaries, some argue. One solution proposed by the United Nations is to set up an interim international committee to oversee the delivery of aid so that reconstruction can proceed despite the disagreements. But this has been greeted unenthusiastically, with some claiming it would deepen the split between the rival Palestinian governments. In the wider world, politics and aid are already so intertwined that, in launching an appeal to the public to meet Gaza's immediate humanitarian needs, the Britain's Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) felt it necessary to remind prospective donors that humanitarian agencies' brief is to remain neutral. Meanwhile, the BBC - criticised for bias in its coverage of the conflict by both sides - has refused to advertise the appeal for fear of compromising public perception of its impartiality. UNRWA AND ISRAEL AT ODDS And there's likely to be more trouble ahead in the fraught relationship between the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the Israeli authorities. The three-week military campaign saw unprecedented attacks by Israeli forces on U.N. facilities, including UNRWA's Gaza headquarters, warehouses full of aid and U.N. schools where hundreds of civilians were seeking refugee from the fighting. Each incident drew protests from the United Nations, but despite apologies and reassurances from the Israeli authorities including Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, further attacks followed, until it seemed as if a pattern of "attack, apologise, attack" was repeating itself. While the fighting continued, U.N. officials stopped short of suggesting the attacks were deliberate. But on a visit to Gaza following the ceasefire, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon was visibly angry, and demanded an explanation for the "outrageous and totally unacceptable attack on the United Nations" during the conflict. Days before, senior UNRWA officials had called for an investigation into possible war crimes committed by Israel - calls which have been echoed by others in the humanitarian community like Amnesty International. One darkly comic incident neatly illustrates the growing divergence between UNRWA and Israeli perspectives. Ban Ki-moon, on being introduced to Israeli politician Isaac Herzog during the last days of Operation Cast Lead, misheard his title of "minister for welfare". "Minister of Warfare?" he queried, before being quickly put right by an official. Herzog has been appointed by the Israeli Prime Minister to coordinate humanitarian aid to Gaza. As the post-war scrutiny of Israel's conduct towards civilians and aid agencies - including its allegedly illegal use of white phosphorus - continues, it seems certain that tensions will mount between the two parties, which have such a huge impact on the lives of ordinary Palestinians in Gaza. Even if those involved can't say so explicitly, it seems likely that, for the foreseeable future, humanitarianism in Gaza may be the continuation of the war by other means.
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17 responses to “Is humanitarianism in Gaza a continuation of war by other means?”
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Alex Klaushofer is a freelance journalist writing on social affairs and politics in Britain and the Middle East. She has previously worked as Middle East communications manager for Christian Aid, and has a particular interest in humanitarian issues. She is author of "Paradise Divided: A Portrait of Lebanon".
23 Jan 2009 16:21:00 GMT
Aid is helping Hamas - they only need to worry about rearming instead of feeding the population
23 Jan 2009 17:54:20 GMT
The BBC and "compromising public perception of its impartiality".
We have had 22 days of almost exclusively Israeli publicity about the course of the war. No journalists were allowed into the Gaza strip. Maybe two days of limited access, and then reduced coverage due to the swearing in of Obama. No media have been impartial (and except for coverage by Al Jazeera) the practical censorship of Israel means that there has been a ratio of at least 11:1 in favour of Israel, in the news. So the BBC decision Not to show the DEC film asking for help for Gaza is deplorable. It also stops other companies from showing the same film (Consensus!) There are other items that point to an ongoing manipulation of the public. And on ongoig war against civilians EVEN if they are desperate. ie. the building of a "tent city" on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border, for those who expect to be "cleansed" from Rafah under the "name" of humanitarian aid. (palestinian web site) The top EU commissioner who is supposed to have declared that no rebuilding will be undertaken by Europe. (Al Jazeera, But no name supplied) It is a long time since one could believe in "impartiality"23 Jan 2009 21:59:57 GMT
Until the world community does not continue to look at Gaza civilians as unworthy, unimportant, substandard, not equal, less than worth saving, God help them-
23 Jan 2009 22:00:52 GMT
Humanitarianism of helping the affected in Gaza is in no way will help future war in Gaza. In the 22 days long conflict many helpless civilians were killed and made homeless helping these affected is a civilized way of life. These civilians were born to live in Gaza and they don't want to move out of Gaza because some interested parties are forcing them to go away. Many of these peaceful civilians may have nothing to do with the rocket firings. It is the duty of the civilized nations and people to help the affected and to work for a lasting peace in Gaza.
23 Jan 2009 23:08:10 GMT
Shaun, get some education on the region.
1. "Even before the conflict between Israel and Hamas, Gaza's 1.5 million inhabitants were enduring their worst conditions for over 40 years, agencies said last year, with 80 percent of the population dependent on food aid." You know why? Because Israel withrew unilaterally from Gaza in 2005, leaving farms 7 hothouses that were subsequently destroyed by the Palestinians, and then Hamas violently took over Gaza in June of 2007. Literacy rates (which evolve over longer periods) in Gaza and the West Bank are higher than in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Iran (source: CIA World Factbook). 2. "ongoig war against civilians EVEN if they are desperate" - the reports of # of civilians killed by Israeli military strikes range from about 200 to about 1000. Now, even if it's 1000 - this is in the context of over 1000 separate military strikes in an area 1/2 the size of New York City with over 1.5 million inhabitants. How can you POSSIBLY accuse Israel of waging war on civilians? Meanwhile, Hamas has fired over 8,000 rockets and mortars RANDOMLY at Israel over the last 8 YEARS in a zone inhabited by about 1 million people. Fortunately, there have not been that many deaths, but over 30% of the population in places like Sderot are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The fact of the matter is that the only reason more Palestinian civilians were not killed is because Israel has precision-guidede weapons, and the only reason more Israeli civilians have not been killed is because Hamas DOESN'T have precision-guided weapons. 3. Don't get me started on media bias. According to a 2008 report by Project Ploughshares, there were 30 armed conflicts in 2008 (only 4 of those in the Middle East). How many of those got media coverage at all, let alone daily? With DAILY coverage on the war against Hamas focusing on pictures of crying children, (and very few reports over the last 8 years on Hamas rocket attacks) how can you POSSIBLY claim the media is biased in FAVOR of Israel? Your logic that because journalists were not allowed in Gaza that means that Israel got favored coverage is flawed. I agree completely that it has been a long time since one could believe in "impartiality". I just think you're looking at it from the wrong side of the truth.24 Jan 2009 00:04:25 GMT
I like how Israel defenders like Lechle Hizdayen never deal with the topic at hand and only repeat their version of events and puts all the blame for everything bad on Hamas as a way to distract from the real questions. Please would someone give one good reason why calls for humanitarian aid for people in Gaza should not be made that isn't political or propagandistic (i.e. "Hamas will take all the food and make a big banquet for themselves")! One could be "the deaths of the Gazans by starvation or lack of medicine will make them more angry at Hamas and lead to a regime change more favourable to Israel, so a couple hundred more deaths are acceptable", but I think that'd be too honest. If there's no good reason for supporting the supression of humanitarian aid it will make Israel seem even more heartless than before, if that is possible.
24 Jan 2009 00:04:59 GMT
I like how Israel defenders like Lechle Hizdayen never deal with the topic at hand and only repeat their version of events and puts all the blame for everything bad on Hamas as a way to distract from the real questions. Please would someone give one good reason why calls for humanitarian aid for people in Gaza should not be made that isn't political or propagandistic (i.e. "Hamas will take all the food and make a big banquet for themselves")! One could be "the deaths of the Gazans by starvation or lack of medicine will make them more angry at Hamas and lead to a regime change more favourable to Israel, so a couple hundred more deaths are acceptable", but I think that'd be too honest. If there's no good reason for supporting the supression of humanitarian aid it will make Israel seem even more heartless than before, if that is possible.
24 Jan 2009 09:24:52 GMT
What always amazes me is that no one ever expects Israel herself to pick up the tab for these tantrums.
She'll assert her sovereignity over Gaza -- or the West Bank -- when it suits her. Witness her assertion that she has the right to control the flow of relief supplies. However, when it comes to paying... Isn't it obvious that any state is responsible for the welfare of those under its control -- whatever their status? It's as if the US demanded that someone else feed the prisoners at Guantanamo.24 Jan 2009 09:25:51 GMT
Jesse,
I am all for humanitarian aid for the residents of Gaza, and they are victims of Hamas' brutal and unforgiving regime. I completely support allowing food, medicine and fuel into Gaza. I know that when the Palestinians have nothing, they have nothing to lose and the desperation is not helpful to anyone. There are a few problems though. First of all, you claim that it's being propagandistic to point out that Hamas confiscates the supplies going into Gaza, but it's true. A few days into the war, with over 900 trucks being sent into Gaza with humanitarian aid, Hamas had confiscated more than 100. If Hamas is in charge, THEY will be the ones to use propaganda to take credit for any reconstruction, despite even now killing Fatah "collaborators" after Israel has withdrawn. Why do I say this? Because that's how it has been working for years. It is in Israel's best interest for the residents of Gaza to rebuild and for economic development to take place. But the reality is that while Hamas is in charge, they will never let it happen. Therefore, they need to be marginalized. Do you think Hamas will accept a redeveloped Gaza without Israeli presence and leave things alone? What did they do for the last 3 years? If the Palestinian Authority is empowered to be the partner with Israel, the EU, the US, etc., then there may be hope for the residents of Gaza. Putting the blame on Hamas does not distract from the real questions - it IS the real question: with Hamas in charge, what future is there for Gaza other than despair?24 Jan 2009 09:28:04 GMT
Yes is my answer. In my opinion, Israel is not an honourable state today. This most recent invasion of Gaza was ���shooting fish in a barrel���. The multiple, multifaceted humiliations and ongoing provocations against the Palestinians created exactly what was intended. It is history repeating itself. Israel has been an aggressive neighbour and land grabber which in itself is not new when viewed against the panorama of human history. Yet, we humans have evolved sufficiently to be able to question our morals and motives in relation to the larger collective [all global citizens], not just within our state���s borders.
We also know through our collective history that militarism does not work. It replicates itself through trauma. The traumatized coalesce; groups form and arm themselves; others try to flee; civil wars break out; everyone winds up killing everyone else in the last scene. If it wasn't so tragically and agonizingly real, it would be considered bad fiction. This is not fiction: Hamas resisters did not kill 10 IDF personnel. 4 were killed in 2 incidents by their own tanks. 13 ��" 4 = 9. 1300 Palestinians killed and the living have unexploded ordinance to avoid. : Not all Palestinian children were killed by bomb blasts and shrapnel. Brain scans showed some had been killed by bullets and some of those at short range. I do not think the embargo will lift regardless of how many conditions Israel demands be met first and are being met. It seems Israel controls the time frame besides many other variables. It will spiral downward: more conditions, more oppression, constriction, concentration, more delays, more people trying to exist in temporary shelters, enlarging ghettos, more malnourishment, anemia, and hunger, more olive and orange trees to replant, more physical obstacles to overcome to get to medical help, less infrastructure, a sprinkling of concessions to appease and for applause, until a fevered pitch of frustration rises in some people and fatigue sets in in 'bystanders'. Tell me I am wrong. Tell me the future will be kinder than this. Maybe like this? 2 ideas need to be acted upon simultaneously for a breakthrough of the above. All of the Western and Arab powers [politicians, generals, and media] need to focus their intent on civilian amelioration [ending suffering and deplorable living conditions], agree and speak as one. Siding with civilians, for a change, will initiate an honest, transparent, sharing communication flow. Western leaders -Speak with Hamas - this organization was freely elected. To treat this entity as if it does not exist is absurd. I believe a breakthrough of the above requires concurrently, a steadfast and fearless coalition of the U.N. bodies, Human Rights groups, the I.C.C., hardworking N.G.O.'s and journalists, and us, the bystanders, to lead the way away from this incessant insanity towards tending the impoverished and injured and to unravel all of the truths. It is in these organizations, their reasons for existing where faith and support is sorely needed. Without Human Rights, and International Law, we, the civilians everywhere will be left with bombastic big boys and foolish big girls playing monopoly games while their big toys smash at little people���s lives. Shame on the BBC for selective/born again impartiality and the Canadian government for waiting for permission from your neighbour to the south before going to the bathroom i.e. for not speaking out on behalf of the civilians when you voted, no, on the recent UN resolution. ���Those who make peaceful change impossible, make violent revolution inevitable.��� J. F. Kennedy Thank you for the opportunity to have my say. Please don���t stop.24 Jan 2009 09:29:09 GMT
All people have human rights. That means the Palestinians living in Gaza, and the Israelis living in Israel. The Universal Decalaration of Human Rights, the basis of international human rights law, states that all people have the right to food, the right to life, the right to live in security. For decades political parties representing both the Palestinians and the Israelis have used civilian suffering to promote their own political self interest. It is completely unacceptable the humanitarian situation for people living in Gaza. Israel should let the United Nations do it's job, to distribute aid to people in need. It's as simple as that. The United Nations is acting on behalf on the World Community.
24 Jan 2009 09:48:33 GMT
So how to bring peace to the region: punish and weaken Israel...
The grade school bully pushes around the other kids and takes their lunch money because he can. He is bigger, stronger, more powerful and less averse to use violence. This sort of violence and injustice will continue until the victim arms and defends himself and puts some fear in the bully. With so much of talk aimed at Hamas tunnels and funneling in of arms; has anyone stopped to ask: What if they were actually successful and got the weapons Israel so fears? What if they actually had man portable air defense systems? Or effective anti-tank rockets. Or accurate missiles with the range to hit sensitive Israeli military installations. What would happen? Everyone knows what the outcome would be: Peace. An armed Gaza would be a very effective deterrence to future Israeli military adventures. In the current situation they it can attack and kill 1300 Palestinians on a whim or a political wind. A viable defense has been the right of every nation on earth for hundreds of years, and for the most part it has worked in maintaining stability. The idea of Peace through strength doesn t just apply to Regan s American. Those rights should also extent to the nation of Palestine (3000 years old and Biblically recognized) allowing them to defend their vulnerable territory and people from the same settlers who are responsible for wiping their nation off the map in the first place.25 Jan 2009 10:10:22 GMT
as an American, i am sickened by my government's slavish devotion to Israel's imperialism. Israel, like the USA, is its own worst enemy. Not Muslims1
as someone of Jewish heritage, it sickens me that the Holocaust reminds us to "never forget" and yet Israeli supremacists forget this lesson quickly enough when it comes to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from the land they stole from them. Jewish ethics are about supporting the oppressed, and yet we have our boots on the neck of the Palestinians, a people whose plight invites comparisons with the plight of the Indian in 19th century USA. This is the same old s*** that the Nazis, and every other groups that considered themselves superior, put forward to promote their own superiority. Hey all, you take a cr** the same way, nobody is superior. Stop making lives miserable because you have a sick need to feel superior to some other group.25 Jan 2009 15:31:44 GMT
A reply to Lechle Hizdayen point 1 "leaving farms 7 hothouses that were subsequently destroyed by the Palestinians, and then Hamas violently took over Gaza in June of 2007" 1a.The hothouses and simple houses in Netzarim were destroyed by Israel on the way out. The Palestinians would have Loved to get their hands on them. 1b. The US/Israel stooge Dahlan, tried to take over Gaza. This US/Israel stooge had already tried to crusk Hamas. Part of the ongoing subversive action to eliminate Hamas. His action left little in the way of manoeuvre except an armed reply. Which Hamas won.
2 "the reports of # of civilians killed by Israeli military strikes range from about 200 to about 1000". Here we get into pure media manipulation. Totals range from 1360 to 1265. HOWEVER, one "witness" was found by Israeli press who claimed that the figure was wrong and then disappeared. The total will certainly rise as incidents such as at Khuza'a (See Bt'selem) where bulldozers tried to buy palestinian civilians alive, (among other things, white flags etc) Show the possible way inwhich bodies have been covered up quickly to hide the real cost to civilians. This from Haaretz today: "the IDF made use of massive force during its advance in the Strip. As a Golani brigade commander explained, if there is any concern that a house is booby-trapped, even if it is filled with civilians, it should be targeted and hit, to ensure that it is not mined - only then should it be approached" Shows that scant oonsideration was given to civilian loss of life. In eight yerars 20 palestinians were killed but over 5500 palestinians. A ratio of one Israeli for eleven Palestinians. or 1300:13, one for ten recently. --- However, the topic was; Aid being used as a weapon. This should be considered in the light of "Israel has precision-guidede weapons", and the 36 attacks on UN sponsored Schools, depots and hospitals. etc. The cruel blockade and subsequent bombing of infrastructure, means that even a short period of entry by lorries cannot cover the shortfall. An element which is clearly recognised by Israel.25 Jan 2009 15:31:56 GMT
The Israeli lobby are murdering freedom of speech/expression. Shame on you Aunty beeb for allowing yourself to be bullied by these dastardly people.
26 Jan 2009 17:42:38 GMT
In response to Ayan who says that if Hamas were able to arm themselves effectively, "Everyone knows what the outcome would be: Peace." Ayan, you seem to be assuming that Hamas is only interested in defending Gaza and deterring Israeli attacks.
Please read what Hamas itself says about its aims and strategies, for example in its charter, which you can find at http://www.mideastweb.org/30 Jan 2009 15:15:42 GMT
As long as Hamas controls distribution of aid, there must be none. Anyway the aid will be misused. The construction materials will be used not for housing or schools, but for building underground bunkers for Hamas honchos. The pipes will be reworked into Qasam missiles instead of plumbing. Even the food and fuel will be used for feeding the gunmen and fueling their cars first, the population getting mere scraps if anything. If Hamas, as they claim, care about the people of Gaza, they must use their smuggling tunnels to provide for humanitarian needs instead of Grad rockets and TNT. Or better yet, step down as the government. Their "governing" already brought a disaster upon their subjects.