The starving Gazan myth respun

Piggybacking on the latest media spin that Gazans weren’t really starving, but they’re being humiliated, the AP puts out a story about the narrative being challenged. The AP does its job perfectly, making sure that you realize that the Gaza mall is nothing special, made out of old buildings, and just ignore the fact that the starving Gazans can buy $80 bottles of perfume (more than I’d ever spend!) there.

Gaza Mall sparks debate over Israeli blockade
Palestinians in this blockaded territory can now buy $80 bottles of perfume, Turkish-made suits and Israeli yogurt at the new Gaza Mall. But with only two floors of shops connected by a broken elevator and a staircase, Gaza’s first shopping center is a far cry from the sprawling luxury malls famous elsewhere in the Middle East.

Nevertheless, for the war-battered residents of the impoverished coastal strip, it is a symbol of pride and normalcy. But the mall has become more than just a modest attempt at a shopper’s paradise. Since its opening last month, it has become the focus of an argument over how bad things really are in Gaza.

So how bad are things? Terrible, says the Palestinian quoted in the article. Really awful. Horrifically horrible!

“People say there are no problems because Gaza has mayonnaise and ketchup,” said Gaza dentist Samir Ziara, 59, while browsing the mall’s supermarket. “If you lock someone in a room but take care of all of his basic needs, is that enough to make him happy?”

Oh, wait—the Gazans aren’t starving anymore? There’s not a humanitarian crisis? They’re simply—unhappy? Wait, wait—howcome the Gazans can’t leave? Did the AP cover the history of exactly why Gazans are unable to enter Israel and Egypt freely?

Of course they did.

The economy in the impoverished territory has been in decline since Hamas militants overran the strip in 2007 and Israel and Egypt responded with a strict blockade. Most of Gaza’s merchandise was then smuggled in through tunnels under the Egyptian border.

Then a deadly Israeli raid on a flotilla seeking to break the blockade in May drew widespread international criticism, and Israel loosened restrictions on consumer goods – many of which can now be bought at the new mall.

Hm. I think there’s something missing in that narrative. Let’s think, what happened before Israel blockaded Gaza… hm, it’s right there, on the tip of my tongue—oh, that’s right. They sent thousands of rockets into Israel, causing Israel to go into Gaza and take out the terrorists and the rocket factories. The near-daily barrage is now reduced to the occasional attempt to see if Israel will respond harshly to rockets landing (and Israel does). But the AP spin is not quite finished. Now we have to both blame Israel for Gaza’s unemployment. There is, of course, no mention of the lucrative produce market that used to come from the greenhouses in the Jewish towns in Gaza. As soon as Israel left, the Gazans destroyed them, instead of taking them over and using them to employ Gazans. Note also the slap at Israel for refusing to supply concrete and metal to Gaza, which is used to make bombs and tunnels.

About one-third of Gaza’s work force is currently jobless, and 80 percent of the population depends on food aid. While consumer goods enter, Israel still bans exports and many raw materials that could allow Gaza’s factories to reopen.

Israel says those problems are due to the refusal of Hamas – whose charter calls for Israel’s destruction – to engage with the Jewish state.

Israel says those problems are caused by the terrorists controlling Gaza. It isn’t a refusal to engage. It is a refusal to allow Israelis to exist in peace, in the land of Israel.

But hey, don’t let the facts get in the way of a great opinion piece masquerading as news.

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