Students for Justice in Palestine FIU – Solidarity Statement with the US Boat to Gaza – The Audacity of Hope
“There’s no thrill in easy sailing when the skies are clear and blue, there’s no joy in merely doing things which any one can do. But there is some satisfaction that is mighty sweet to take; when you reach a destination that you never thought you’d make.” – Anonymous
According to several Israeli officials, there is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza. For the sake of the argument let’s assume that this is true. Now let us take a look at facts on the ground. Most Americans have probably never seen a blackout or might have never experienced a total power outage in their life, thanks to the infinite electricity provided by the all-powerful nuclear plants here. On the other hand, Gaza, which is not even one-third the size of the city of Los Angeles, inhabits more than 1.5 million people making it one of the world’s most crowded places and where there is only one power plant. That one power plant was bombed by Israel twice. The first time Israel bombed the plant in 2006, it did not for once think about damaging property worth US $140 million. The second time it bombed the plant in 2009, the plant shutdown completely. This second bombing was during the Operation Cast Lead which killed more than 1400 Palestinians during the month long operation. Moreover, the blockade constitutes to the shutdown of the lone power plant.
Recession is something which the Americans can relate to and they know what it means to be unemployed. United Nations Relief and Works Agency says that the unemployment rate in Gaza remains the highest in the world. A study conducted by the organization said that over 45.2 percent of the working-age people in Gaza were unemployed. Refugees, who make up two-thirds of Gaza’s 1.5 million population, were the worst hit. According to the study, the employment in the Hamas government sector remained high, with over 53% of all employed refugees working in the public sector. If the aim of the blockade policy was to weaken the Hamas administration, the public employment numbers suggest this has failed. The international poverty threshold is known to be around a $1/day to survive in any given country around the world. More than 80% of Gaza’s 1.5 million population lives under $1/day. Homelessness is another major issue in Gaza. Over 3000 families were homeless after the Operation Cast Lead. Amnesty International called it “wanton destruction” in violation of international law.
The UN, Human Rights Watch and many other international bodies and NGOs consider Israel to be the occupying power of the Gaza Strip as Israel controls Gaza’s airspace and territorial waters, and does not allow the movement of goods in or out of Gaza by air or sea. Gaza has been termed as an open air prison by officials from United Nations. Amnesty International calls it collective punishment, which according to international law, is illegal. Fishing is one of Gaza’s principal trades. According to Red Cross, 90% of Gaza’s 4000 fishermen are considered poor or very poor. The Israeli blockade has restricted access to the sea to 3 nautical miles from the shore, making profitable catches impossible and most of the fishermen are unnecessarily dependent on aid. There have been cases where the fishermen have strayed beyond the 3 mile periphery and have been shot at by the Israeli Navy; in some instances they have been killed. Their only crime was that they were fishing. Palestinians have tried to use tunnels to bring in goods from Egypt. Israel had repeatedly bombed several tunnels which killed several Palestinians. More than 160 Palestinians have been killed during their work in those tunnels since February, 2006 due to bombing, electric shock or suffocation. Now that the Rafah border has been opened there seemed to be a sense of relief amongst the Palestinians, which however was short-lived. Israel still controls all commercial crossings. Limited access of food, commodities and medications are still in effect.
Healthcare is a hotly debated topic in the United States. Republicans have come close to calling Obama’s healthcare plan to be the worst thing that has ever happened to America after the recession. In Gaza, the situation is in stark contrast. Not that they have an even worse healthcare system, in actuality, they have none. According to Gaza’s health bodies and utilities, severe shortages are hitting the sector due to the continued closure. The shortages have led to a reduction in services, including surgeries. A number of patients are on the waiting list for urgent medical operations. According to Gaza’s health ministry, the medical storage will soon be depleted, which further endangers the lives of the innocent population. The Gaza Strip still has a persistent drug shortage, despite some recent Israeli and Egyptian talks about easing the strict blockade that has left this crowded enclave isolated since July, 2007. The health crisis in the Strip has increased the suffering of people, with some nearing death. The World Health Organization says the blockade has led to a general “worsening of the health conditions of the population” and “accelerated the degeneration” of the health system. During Operation Cast Lead, six hospitals suffered damage, including one that had a new building was completely destroyed, another lost two whole floors. Gaza is simply not equipped to treat many severe cases. According to Israeli figures, 10,544 patients and their companions left the Gaza Strip for medical treatment in Israel in 2009. But the WHO says that in December 2009, permission for 21% of patients was denied or delayed, and 27 patients in total died during the year while waiting for referrals to Israel. Water and sewage is another significant requisite in a conurbation’s functioning and can lead to an epidemic if the sanitation requirements are not met. The WHO says Operation Cast Lead worsened an already bad situation. Before the operation, it says Gazans had only half the water they needed according to international standards, and 80% of water supplied did not meet WHO drinking standards. At the height of the January fighting, half of Gaza’s population had no access to piped water.
Civil Engineering and Construction are topics which are close to my heart. These are the subjects which are going to shape the rest of my career. As an Indian, I can understand why a developing country constantly needs improvements in infrastructure and how housing is crucial for a country’s population. In Gaza, restrictions on construction materials, particularly cement, and spare parts for machinery, has had a big impact on projects ranging from water treatment to grave digging. Reconstruction of buildings and infrastructure destroyed in the 2009 Israeli operations in Gaza has been virtually impossible. The UN says restrictions on cement have made the reconstruction of 12,000 Palestinian homes damaged or destroyed in Israeli military operations “impossible”. It says it has not been able to build schools to house 15,000 new pupils, necessary because of population growth since the blockade began. Even before Operation Cast Lead, all factories making construction materials had shut down and the building of roads, water and sanitation infrastructure, medical facilities, schools and housing was on hold. The Yasser Arafat International Airport which was bombed by Israel in 2001 still remains inoperable.
United Nations Human Rights Council has termed the blockade of Gaza as illegal under international law. The European Union has repeatedly called for the lifting of the blockade. Despite severe pressure on Israel it does not budge mainly due to USA’s unconditional support, which is in fact isolating it on the world stage. The international community and civil society had become agitated by Israel’s indifference. After tolerating Israel’s arrogance for several years, activists from around the world organized a flotilla of ships. This flotilla was called as the “Freedom Flotilla”. The Freedom Flotilla was organized to carry several tons of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. The flotilla set sail in the summer of 2010. On May 31, 2010 the flotilla was attacked in international waters by the Israeli navy in the dead of the night killing 9 Turkish activists sparking massive protests around the world. The UN Report on last year’s flotilla concluded that Israel had violated international law in several respects: by using excessive force, by wrongfully attacking humanitarian vessels in international waters, and by an unacceptable claim to be enforcing a blockade that was itself unlawful. Israel has so far been defiant of international law and is yet to comply. It has even rebuffed the demands to offer an apology to Turkey.
Despite last year’s incident, the international civil society has not given up on its solidarity for the Palestinians and has organized “Freedom Flotilla II – Stay Human”. On June 25 at least 15 ships including the US Boat to Gaza “The Audacity of Hope” will depart various ports from around the world and meet in the Mediterranean. The flotilla organizers are planning to reach Gaza in the first week of July. This flotilla has been named to honor Vittorio Arrigoni the Italian activist who was killed in Gaza earlier this year. The flotilla carries tons of much needed humanitarian aid including educational, medical and construction material and over 1500 humanitarian activists as passengers. Israel has begun its military trainings in order to stop the flotilla from reaching Gaza. We hope that the Israeli navy doesn’t commit the grave mistake it committed last year and wish all the passengers aboard the flotilla a happy journey. We especially wish ‘Gabriel Schivone’ member of Students for Justice in Palestine at University of Arizona all the best in this endeavor and pray that his participation in this historic effort be fruitful. To reiterate our commitment to Freedom Flotilla II we have organized a Florida Solidarity Rally to be held on June 18 in Downtown Miami in front of the Israeli Consulate and hope people who truly believe in peace and justice come out to show support for this humanitarian effort.
Aman Muqeet is a recent graduate from Florida International University receiving his Master’s Degree in Construction Management. He is one of the founding members of Students for Justice in Palestine at FIU and former Graduate Senator of the Student Government Association of FIU.
