The palestinians are trashing their own future, and yet, of course, this will be blamed on Israel.
NEVE DEKALIM, Gaza Strip (AP) – Palestinian police Tuesday blocked off abandoned Jewish settlements and chased after scavengers in a first attempt to impose order after chaotic celebrations of Israel’s pullout from Gaza. The overwhelmed forces were unable to halt looting of the area’s prized greenhouses.
Egyptian guards, meanwhile, failed for a second straight day to control a rush across the Gaza-Egypt border, which was a formidable barrier when patrolled by Israel. With the Israelis gone, Gazans dug under walls and climbed over barriers to get to Egypt, where they stocked up on cheap cigarettes, medication and cheese. Egyptian forces on Monday fatally shot a Palestinian during the mad rush, witnesses said.
The chaos raised new questions about the ability of Palestinian forces to impose order in Gaza.
The greenhouses, left behind by Israel as part of a deal brokered by international mediators, are a centerpiece of Palestinian plans for rebuilding Gaza after 38 years of Israeli occupation. The Palestinian Authority hopes the high-tech greenhouses will provide jobs and export income for Gaza’s shattered economy.
So what do you think? Think the pals are going to ensure their own economic future?
Nah, me neither.
During a tour of Neve Dekalim, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia implored Palestinians to leave the structures intact, even as people scavenged through debris elsewhere in the settlement.
“These greenhouses are for the Palestinian people,” he said. “We don’t want anyone to touch or harm anything that can be useful for our people.”
Just minutes away, crowds of looters in the Gadid settlement overwhelmed hundreds of guards trying to protect the greenhouses. Guards acknowledged that in many cases, they were unable to stop the looting.
“They are taking plastic sheeting, they are taking hoses, they are taking anything they can get their hands on,” said Hamza Judeh, a Palestinian policeman.
He said about 80 percent of the greenhouses were still intact, but looters walked off with lighting fixtures, cables and wires. Many were undeterred by the police presence. Police said one man dropped his loot only after he was beaten by security forces.
So let’s see. An Egyptian shoots and kills a palestinian rushing the border, yet there are no headlines blaring “Egyptian Soldier Kills Palestinian.” The “police” beat a looter, and the AP reports it as if it’s the most natural thing in the world, buried deep within the article. No story headlined “Palestinian Beaten By Police As He Tries To Salvage A Few Scraps To Feed His Family Because Gaza’s Economy Was Destroyed By Israeli Occupation.”
Electrical cables were selling for about $3.50, copper was getting $2.50 for 2.2 pounds and bricks were going for about $1 a piece.
The Gaza pullout is widely seen as a test for Palestinian aspirations for an independent state in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem – areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war.
I think they failed the test.
By the way, in every article I’ve read, the occupation is mentioned. The date is mentioned. Thirty-eight years is mentioned. Not once is it mentioned that Israel offered Gaza back to Egypt more than once, and was refused each time. Neither is it mentioned that prior to 1967, Gaza was part of Egypt.
There is no context whatsoever. It does not surprise me that people think Israel is the villain in this piece. If I didn’t know anything other than what I read in the papers and see on TV, I’d think so, too.
Your homework for today: Find me a news article in a non-Jewish publication that mentions the attempts to give Gaza back