Madison-Rafah Journal

From: Professor Said Abdelwahed [abdelwahed_prof (at) yahoo.com]
Subject: Fishing in Gaza
Date: Friday, June 20, 2008

Palestinian fishermen re-asserted their right to fish and their right to live, demonstrating on June 16th with their boats against the Israeli siege

Luisa Morgantini, Il Manifesto, June 18, 2008

IN THE GAZA STRIP THE SEA IS A HUGE ISRAELI CHECK POINT

The sea in Gaza is blue, but also green due to pollution because in many sites sewage waters run freely into the waters after passing visibly through the streets of Gaza city and other cities in the Strip and ending up in the sea. No waste water decontamination treatment systems exist because they have been destroyed by the Israeli raids or are out of use because spare parts cannot get through the embargo decided by the Israeli Authorities, resulting in serious consequences for the environment and the local economy.

But the sea in Gaza has always been a great natural resource and could also become a resource for tourism. After the Oslo Agreement, Palestinians hoped that Gaza beaches would be crowded, many hotels have been built, and restaurants and cafes opened. But these expectations were short-lived: hotels have been almost abandoned and tourists cannot of course travel to Gaza. Palestinian citizens in Israel, who the Palestinian tourism targeted, are prevented from entering Gaza since the borders are in the sole hands of the Israeli government and all Israeli citizens are prohibited from traveling to the Strip or to the West Bank.

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Letters from Gaza

Said Abdelwahed, PhD

For weeks, my colleagues and students as well as myself, have been puffing and puffing on the current miserable situation in the Gaza Strip, and accordingly, on the future of the place and the people alike! Hence, I found myself starting this article normally reflecting on what has been taking place in this part of the world. I thought of where to commence my article. Shall I start with the socio-political situation or with the politico-social one? Nevertheless, I remained undecided as I realized that the situation in Gaza is sometimes a mixture of the two and in other times, the two situations alternate in a dramatic manner!

Words fall short from describing the situation in Gaza. However, I may describe it as truly rebellious, disorderly, uncontrollable, tumultuous, unmanageable, riotous, confused, irrepressible, uncontainable, angry, anxious, incongruous, frantic, absurd, radical and revolutionary all in one. Thus, it is no wonder that Gazans have something and its opposite simultaneously. By all means, lives a situation of bread and blood. It’s a situation of identity and dignity too.

Luckily, this unique tableau enjoys coverage in news bulletins of some of the Arab satellite channels. Sometimes, when Israel feels hurt from Gaza, in one way or another, Western media channels then compete to defend Israel, which leads to the repeated news and screening of pictures! Their news and pictures paint the Palestinians as criminals and the Israelis as victims! Anyways, the case of Gaza keeps the whole situation controversial in the world mass media regardless of their political slants and objectives!

Its is clear to everyone concerned with world politics and economics that Gazans’ daily life needs and services such as health, education, and agriculture to name a few are totally threatened. According to bakers, wheat, and flour merchants, it is believed that Gaza bakeries may not remain open and baking for more than one week. Nothing is being allowed to enter into Gaza, even the mundane such as stationary and paper of all kinds, colors and sizes. Not even shoes! Israel has denied shoes from being shipped to Gaza from anywhere in the world, even from local production facilities in Hebron, West Bank! Shoemakers, who repair old shoes, have been franticly busy with work maintaining shoes and school bags, etc. They attempt to meet the needs of one and a half million with only 15 sewing machines in service. If the situation continues as it is, people will walk barefoot! Can you imagine walking barefoot? Is this what the world is waiting for? I cannot understand!

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Letters from Gaza

Professor Abdelwahed [abdelwahed_prof @yahoo.com] wrote on 9 Feb 2007:
Hi there. Last night was just like a dream for all the citizens of Gaza city! It was unbelievable that Fatah and Hamas agree! Thousands of people from everywhere in the city took to the streets immediately after the signing of the reconciliation and jubilated.

Hundreds of cars roamed the streets with flags of different factions, beating drums and firing in the air in celebration of the national unity agreement. They shouted slogans of national unity for a cause and a people, and for the fight for Jerusalem.

Those naive people who thought good of Dahlan have become either confused by what took place in Mecca, or with a clearer vision of the situation and people than they used to believe. There is only his clique who could say nothing on his absence from the finale!

I wish Hamas and Fatah to remove the cover of anyone or group if they attempt to confuse the street again and cause problems to abort the achievement of the Mecca historic agreement. I wish matters to go forward with steady steps towards peace in the region.

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Letters from Gaza

Prof. Abdelwahed wrote on Sat, 3 Feb 2007:

Hello there,

Unfortunately, we did not have electric power for more than 24 hours. The elecricity maintenance department said that our neighbourhood is the most dangerous one in Gaza, so that their crew could not reach the place to repair the generator which was partly damaged during the clashes.

Gaza has turned into a city of ghosts with only veiled gunmen at the corners of the streets. They shoot at everything moving. They are also scared as the fight has claimed the lives of 26 people from the two parties and other innocent citizens; add to that some 250 people injured.

The Egyptian security delegation brokered a truce and they were still in Gaza when the truce drastically collapsed. They tried again, and after they left the first meeting, the Fatah delegation was shot at and the Egyptian delegation was shot at too. Hamas officially condemned the shooting at the two delegations!

Today a new truce is declared, but unfortuantely it was only ink on paper, as I can hear mortars, explosions, shootings and what not. Eight people were said to have been injured after declaring the "new" ceasefire! Schools of the ministry of education are on a vacation. UNRWA has suspended its schools for an undeclared date!

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Letters from Gaza

Correspondence from Said Abdelwahed, a professor of English Literature at al-Azhar University in Gaza City

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

It was the extraneous effort of the Egyptians that worked out the cessation of hostilities on both sides. Whether it is a ceasefire or truce, it doesn't make a difference to me; when matters reach this point, I feel how shamefull it is right from the beginning! Its shamefull by all means. It does not seem that this so called "calmness" will last long! Last night, Fatah elements did not stop firing in the air untill two hours after the commencement of the truce! Right now, I can hear shooting from the Fatah side! Elsewhere, in the morning, in Shati refugee camp, Fatah elements searched bags of female university students and others. In the afternoon, in Khan Younis, Fatah killed one Hamas member! Everyone is anticipating a sudden break of the truce. People are angry at what is going on but who of those armed people listens to the voice of wisdom? It seems to me that it is all ink on paper!

Monday, January 29, 2007

Hello again. The situation in Gaza today is still unstable with no serious signs of any calm down. The Egyptian security delegation has threatened breaking off and returning to Egypt. On my part I can say that I am okay and managing in the middle of this bloody situation, but matters are deteriorating and driving to what is worse hour by hour! Twenty minutes back a young man was shot dead by Fatah elements at the end of our street! Unfortuantely, Gaza has turned to be a theater of the absurd where people cannot talk sense to each other; they cannot understand each other; dialogue is really broken; each one thinks that he can make good statements whereas he is not making any sense for the others to appreciate his words! Language of power and arms means a total absence of fruitful and wise dialogue. Last night was worse than the two previous nights in terms of violence! Dozens of rockets launched and thousands of bullets shot everywhere around my house and in the neighbourhood. Abduction is increasing on both sides and killing someone is an easy matter now. Seven or six people were killed last night and more than 10 were kidnapped! We were cut from the electric power for more than 20 hours. Al-Qassam elements and the executive force attack the HQ of the Preventative Security Department whenever they get the chance to do so. Homes of some Dahlan allies were attacked by RPGs, and two Fatah offices were hit by rockets. Elsewhere there are counter attacks on Hamas and their allies. In our neighbourhood, some families left their homes for safer parts of the city or perhaps to other towns. I know that the Al-Azhar University president wants to leave for Khan Younis after last night's clashes. He said that two bullets were shot into his computer room at his apartment. He lives in a building immedately next to mine. On top of that building there are Fatah elements with a heavy machine gun (Russian Doshka). This is one image of the situation.

Sunday, January 28, 2007

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