It’s Not the Occupation, Stupid
In recent days, several reports have come out underscoring the fact that Palestinians (not the “occupation”) are to be blamed for hardships in the Gaza Strip:
1) A scathing self-criticism by the PA (Hamas) government spokesman, Dr. Ghazi Hamad, who wrote:
The anarchy, chaos, pointless murders, the plundering of lands, family feuds. . . what do all of these have to do with the occupation? We have always been accustomed to pinning our failures on others, and conspiratorial thinking is still widespread among us . . .
2) An AFP report about an appeal by Palestinian businessmen to armed groups to halt attacks which harm economic activity near vital crossing points between Gaza and Israel. It stated that the businessmen
asked militant groups not to make border crossings a part of their conflict with Israel, a reference to repeated attacks at Karni, the frequently closed transit point for all goods entering Israel.
Gaza Chamber of Commerce official Mohammed Al-Qidwa told a press conference the Palestinians themselves were to blame for the blockade.
3) A comprehensive report in Ha’aretz today, detailing how “[m]any Palestinians dare to admit that the economic and social deterioration in the strip is not the outcome of Israeli actions alone.”
As it turns out, there is money — but only for Hamas members. A prime example of this is the huge budget provided for Hamas-run schools in the strip. For Gaza residents, Hamas membership can assuage economic distress. The organization manages to assist people and pay them allowances, while Fatah members are approaching bankruptcy.
In addition, the article describes how the Hamas government initially prohibited sick people, aside from a few well-connected patients, from entering Israel because of “budgetary problems.”
The father of one of the children whose treatment in Israel Naim initially rejected, said at the time that if Hamas were to draft 1,000 fewer soldiers for the “operational forces” and use the funds for the Health Ministry, there would be no problem paying for his son’s treatment in Israel.
Significantly, the reporter also points out that Physicians for Human Rights is guilty of propagating the “blame Israel” fallacy, in that it ignored Hamas’ harmful policy and singled out Israel for criticism.
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