An Overview of the Conditions and Situation in Gaza
On Saturday, December 27th an intensive Israeli
airstrike on Hamas targets began in the Gaza
Strip. Now in its seventh day, the massacre has
taken nearly 428 lives and caused almost 2100
injuries. What does this all mean? What’s the deal
with Gaza? What does it look like from where I
am? I’ll try to answer these and other questions in
this newsletter at a basic level, so that the current
news headlines will make a little more sense.
What is Gaza?
Gaza, or the Gaza Strip, is a 139 square mile area
of land nestled between the Mediterranean Sea,
Israel, and Egypt (Wikipedia). Gaza is a part of
the Palestinian Territories, consisting of the West
Bank and Gaza, and the people living in Gaza are
Palestinians.
What is the population of Gaza?
The population of Gaza is 1.4 million. 99% of the
population is Muslim and 1% is Christian
(Wikipedia).
What is the humanitarian situation in Gaza?
For those of you from Southeast Michigan, an
easy way to think of the conditions in Gaza is
taking an area of land equivalent to Ida, Dundee,
and Raisinville Townships and increasing the
population from 16,186 to 1.4 million. Now
imagine that 75% of the people are refugees,
56.8% are living below the poverty line, and
44.6% are unemployed (Palestinian Central
Bureau of Statistics). The borders of Gaza are
controlled by Israel, and since the 2007 Hamas
takeover, Israel has completely closed the borders
on several occasions to all goods, humanitarian
aid, and people. Power plants do not have enough
fuel to keep producing electricity, hospitals are
running out of supplies, and even relief agencies
have struggled getting food assistance into the
territory. These were the conditions before the air
strikes began.
What is Hamas?
Hamas is a militant political party in the
Palestinian Territories. Hamas gained popularity in
Palestine by sponsoring extensive social service
projects. In 2006, Hamas was rightfully won the
general legislative elections acquiring the majority
of the seats in the legislative council of the
Palestinian National Authority. Then, in Gaza in
2007, Hamas seized control from the competing
party, Fatah. In the same year in the West Bank,
members of Fatah ousted elected Hamas members
from the PNA. Hamas is listed as a terrorist
organization by the United States and several other
countries for its use of suicide bombing and
guerilla warfare, and its charter calling for an end
to Israel (Council on Foreign Relations/
Wikipedia).
Why is Israel bombing Gaza?
Growing resentment for Israel due to its policies of
closure on Gaza and the resulting humanitarian
crisis drove Hamas to sporadically launch rockets
into surrounding areas in southern Israel. Once the
Egypt-brokered cease-fire agreement between
Hamas and Israel expired on December 19th,
Hamas stepped up these attacks. While a nuisance
and danger to Israeli property, these projectiles had
not caused any injuries or deaths since two injuries
occurred back in June of 2008. Israel claims that in
order to protect its citizens, a full offensive was
necessary (Aljazeera/Wikipedia).
What’s the situation in Gaza like now?
As I mentioned earlier, today is the seventh day of
attacks on Gaza. The death toll stands at 428 with
the number of injuries topping 2,000. The United
Nations states that the humanitarian situation is on
the brink of catastrophe. A proposal for a ceasefire
suggested by France was turned down. Israel has
massed troops and tanks at the Gaza border,
supposedly preparing for a ground invasion. The
situation is dire, yet the United States refuses to
call for an immediate ceasefire.
Where am I? Am I in danger?
I currently live near Beit Jala in the West Bank. Beit
Jala is 45 miles Northeast of Gaza. In terms of risk
due directly to the fighting in Gaza, there is little.
Because I live in the Palestinian Territories, rockets
and projectiles fired from Hamas in Gaza would not
be directed here, nor could they reach this far.
Israel’s attacks have been concentrated on Hamas
targets in Gaza and will not spread into the West
Bank. Calls for uprising in the West Bank from
various militant factions around the Arab world have
largely gone unanswered. There has been increased
security provided by the Palestinian National
Authority in Bethlehem and by Israeli police in
Jerusalem helping to keep protesters safe and
demonstrations calm. Nevertheless, there are places
here that are unsafe and where conditions are
changing rapidly. With good communication and
increased consciousness of surroundings, I still feel
safe and at home here.
Are the Bishops still coming?
As of today, the 2009 Bishop’s Academy will still be
taking place as planned. While the overall number
has dropped, Bishops from across the United States
and Canada will be arriving on Tuesday, January 6th.
The Bishops will be meeting with representatives and
organizations from both sides of the conflict and
learning about the work of the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.
Other News from December
This month I traveled to Jordan for a week on
retreat with the rest of the Young Adults in
Global Mission team. We hiked in Petra then
went camping in the desert in Wadi Rum. Shortly
after returning to Bethlehem, I flew to Istanbul on
a personal vacation with my boyfriend, Matt.
(Yes, I’m allowed 3 weeks of personal vacation
during my year of service). Christmas in
Bethlehem was a very special time. The
celebrations in Manger Square near the Church of
the Nativity in Bethlehem were well attended, but
the Christmas spirit was most present in the
dinners, gatherings, and carol-singing sessions
with close friends throughout the week. I went to
church Christmas Eve at the Church of the
Reformation in Beit Jala. Rather than a traditional
Christmas Eve service, the children performed a
play about the wise men trying to get to
Bethlehem but were blocked by the wall and
Israeli soldiers. It makes me wonder, how is the
message of Christ being spread beyond the wall
in these days? I’d like to think part of our reason
for being here is to enable the Christians in this
land to continue what they’ve been doing for
2000 years now.
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