Pages

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Many Gazans prefer occupation

Ha'aretz on Sunday published one of the most detailed articles about how bad things are in Gaza that I have ever read. It's worth reading the whole article by Avi Issacharoff - it details the murders, honor killings, clan clashes, prostitution, drug dealing and all the other chaos in the Strip.

Two points from the article are worth noting, and both are never mentioned in any media:
The [Palestinian Arab Gaza] journalist adds: "There are two options today that could take us out of this situation: Someone strong in the Gaza Strip who does not care about a confrontation with the clans, or an Israeli occupation. Many people in the Strip hope that Israel will reoccupy it because these phenomena were not prevalent during the Israeli occupation."

In the reality that is Gaza, where economic hardship screams out, there are quite a few Palestinians who wish to send Qassam rockets at its northern neighbor - and not necessarily for ideological reasons. The head of a unit of launchers gets $5,000 from the organization that sends him on his mission for releasing a salvo of rockets - an enormous sum in Gazan terms. The members of the unit receive several hundred dollars. The economic temptation is immense. It is less important to those launching the rockets whether the target is actually hit. That may be important only to those who wish to see the IDF return as an occupier to Gaza.
These two items - that many Gazans are hoping for Israeli re-occupation, and that rocket crews get paid huge amounts - are facts that you will never see in a Western newspaper. Because, once again, the facts upset the narrative of a Zionist-oppressed Palestinian Arab people that is the basis of nearly all journalism about the area.
(Hat tip: EBoZ)