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Please
help spread this all around. It doesn't matter if you don't think it's
perfect; spreading it around doesn't mean you agree with every word.
What matters is that we don't have anything else like this in mainstream
U.S. political discourse. Rep. Ellison has moved the ball. Rally around
him!
By Keith Ellison July 29
Keith Ellison, a Democrat, represents Minnesota’s 5th District in the House of Representatives.
It
seems as though each day brings new horrors and heartbreaks in the Holy
Land. More than 1,000 dead. Gazan children blown up on the beach. A
U.N. shelter hit. Two-thirds of Israelis living in fear from
indiscriminate rocket fire launched by Hamas. But as the calls for a
cease-fire gain momentum, it is important to understand that many Gazans
who have no association with Hamas view the return to the way things
were as unacceptable.
These people aren’t rocket shooters or combatants.
For the past several years they have lived in dreadful isolation. The
status quo for ordinary Gazans is a continuation of no jobs and no
freedom. This is not an attractive future. Gazans want and deserve the
dignity of economic opportunity and freedom to move. This can be
accomplished only with an end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip, which
must be considered within the framework of a cease-fire. Israelis
likewise deserve to live free of rocket fire and terror attacks. In
order for Israelis to live safely and securely in their homes, Hamas
must give up its rockets and other weapons.
I have traveled to Gaza three times since 2009 and
have visited hospitals and schools there. As I have talked with ordinary
Gazans, I have not encountered anyone representing Hamas. During one
visit, I had the opportunity to meet Scott Anderson, deputy director of
the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). Anderson, a 21-year veteran of
the U.S. Army, said it best when I spoke to him again this week:
“Unless there is material change to the status quo, you’re just
resetting the clock for another cycle of violence.” Continuing to block
goods and services to and from Gaza keeps the keys to opportunity away
from the people who just want to live, work and travel.
The vast majority of Gazans do not support firing
rockets into Israel or killing Israelis. In fact, the majority of people
in Gaza are women and children. During my first visit to the region,
this fact was clear: There were kids everywhere. This week, I also spoke
with Yousef Moussa, chief area operations officer at the UNRWA office
in Rafah. He puts this observation in context, noting, “50 percent of
Gazans are under the age of 18. Seventy percent of Gazans are women and
children. 80 percent of Gazans live below the poverty line. Relatively
few Gazans are associated with Hamas.”
So how can the international community support
those Gazans who don’t support indiscriminate rocket fire? We could
take steps to allow for the safe flow of goods and services into Gaza
and the export of goods and services to neighboring countries. We could
advocate for Gazans to have freedom of movement. Now, if you’re a Gazan
traveling in the West Bank, the Israeli military can forcibly return you
to Gaza. Being able to import goods such as food, fuel and medicine
would mean that Gazans would not be forced to buy necessities from a
tunnel economy controlled by extremists. International actors should be
involved in the process to address Israel’s security concerns about
lifting the blockade.
The blockade prevents development in Gaza.
Egypt and Israel argue that the blockade is designed to cut off
resources from terrorists, but really it has brought those who want a
better life to their knees while the bad actors still have their
rockets. Before the blockade, the United Nations provided food to 80,000
in Gaza; today it provides food to 830,000 .
Israel and Egypt also view the blockade as a success
because it pushed Hamas into a financial crisis. This is short-term
thinking. It ignores the fact that the economic devastation from the
blockade weakens the public and private sectors in Gaza and strengthens
extremists and smuggling enterprises. Repression and deprivation fuel
terrorism; economic development and inclusion can fuel long-term peace.
A viable path beyond the current crisis would
empower Gazans and weaken extremists who benefit from their suffering.
The international community, especially nations in the region, should
help Gazans rebuild their demolished homes and businesses. But who will
invest if war will predictably break out every two years?
There is no military solution to this
conflict. The status quo brings only continued pain, suffering and war.
Promoting economic development and social interaction in Gaza is in the
long-term security interest of Israel and the rest of the region. The
relative calm that existed during Secretary of State John Kerry’s
extended diplomatic talks between Israel and the Palestinians during
2013-14 shows that engaging in dialogue is the first step toward
stopping the violence.
Ultimately, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be
resolved with a final status agreement, and ending the violence and the
blockade is a first step toward a permanent solution.
===
Robert Naiman
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman@justforeignpolicy.org
Policy Director
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman@justforeignpolicy.org
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