Gaza Strip

In the summer of 2014, at the height of the Israeli Defence Force’s ‘Operation Protective Edge’, The Lancet published ‘An open letter for the people in Gaza’ signed by Paola Manduca, Iain Chalmers, Derek Summerfield, Mads Gilbert and Swee Ang, on behalf of 24 signatories. The letter denounced what it called ‘the aggression of Gaza by Israel’ and condemned the humanitarian impact of the incursion and of other Israeli actions such as the blockade on Gaza (Manduca et al. 2014a). The publication of the letter stimulated vigorous debate with a further 20 published responses equally divided either in support of, or opposition to, the original letter (Lancet 2014). The letter was branded ‘anti-Jewish bigotry, pure and simple’ by some (Marmor and Spirt 2014), while others claimed that the authors had failed to declare ‘conflicts of interest’ (Stall et al. 2014; Wolf, Brown, and Aharony 2014).

Support is sought to facilitate the work of the Middle East Study Group. Information at http://www2.hull.ac.uk/fass/mestudygroup/informationfordonors.aspx George Clooney warned of the shadow of McCarthyism looming over his homeland: "We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must not walk in fear of one another. We must not be driven by fear into an age of unreason". Remember that Israel's reason was called by prophets and not by saints.

During and after Israel’s 2014 assault on Gaza, voices within and outside Gaza bore powerful witness to the Israeli attacks—and to the effects of the crushing siege that continued to strangle Gaza’s people long thereafter.

… an outstanding collection of short essays…
John Mearsheimer, University of Chicago
REFAAT ALAREER and LAILA EL-HADDAD are distinguished Palestinian writers and analysts from Gaza. In Gaza Unsilenced they present reflections, analysis, and images—their own, and those of many other contributors—that record the pain and resilience of Gaza’s Palestinians and the solidarity they have received from Palestinians and others around the world. Other contributors include:

Fallows, James, "From Inside and Outside the Iron Dome, Once Again", in: The Atlantic, 07.19. 14 (Also mentioned on Leiter Reports philosophy blog: http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2014/07/a-young-philosophy-grad-from-the-hebrew-u-on-events-in-israel.html)

ماذا بعد الانتصار لصمود غزة؟ سؤال يحيرني كما قد يحير أي شخص يعي أنه يكرر الصراخ في تظاهرات شتى ومتكررة تهم قضايا الأمة الممتدة من المحيط إلى المحيط، صرخات تذهب أدراج الرياح بلا جدوائية، والإجابة عنه شيء صعب وفاصل، قد تكون من عواقب الإجابة؛ إما أن يستمر الواحد منا في دعم الظاهرة الاحتجاجية كرقم يصرخ منددا وبلا نتيجة، فيرمي بنفسه للغالبية بصفته رقما لتكمل المسيرة مليونيتها وينتشي الكل، أو ينسحب فيخرج عن النسق وديكتاتورية مساره اللذان يفرضان أخلاق الجماعة كقيمة ملزمة، فيستهتر -وهو واع- بكل قيمة تفرضها الجماعات ونسقها بل يجعل من سلوكه استهتارا مستفزا يختزن الكوميديا والسخرية في آن، تجاه كل موقف مبدئي يعترضه، أو ينزوي بشكل سلس إلى ظلمة الزوايا أو الخلايا النائمة والنشيطة، فهلا حدد كل واحد منا الدائرة التي يقف فيها يرحمكم الله!! -

The article is based on ethnographic materials collected during several fieldwork experiences in the borderland between Egypt, Israel and the Gaza Strip from 2009 until 2011. The study is based on participant obser- vation and on several interviews conducted around the border crossing on the Egyptian side. During the unpredictable openings of the Rafah border crossing, thousands of people queue in front of the terminal, waiting to cross. Through the presentation of some paradigmatic case studies, this chapter attempts to answer some crucial questions: How does this “triangu- lar” border work? When and where does it work? Who is allowed to cross it? Who is not? The image of the border as a membrane compressed be- tween two opposite thrusts – “crossing borders” and “reinforcing borders – is able to answer to these questions?
Instead of marking a sharp discontinuity between inside and outside, the border “works” producing its specific space, time, knowledge and power.

Cada vez que la situación entre israelíes y palestinos se tensa, se dan ataques terroristas en el corazón de Israel o respuestas militares en los territorios palestinos por parte de las IDF, pienso que realmente los palestinos son víctimas y además tienen sus vidas empeñadas a la falta de una solución real en manos de sus líderes.
En casi 70 años de conflicto contra Israel la cantidad de palestinos muertos alcanza la cifra de 12 mil; poco más de 170 muertos anualmente. Gran número de ellos inmolados voluntariamente en su “lucha de liberación” contra los judíos, y quienes empapelan paredes en ciudades palestinas tanto en Cisjordania (Judea y Samaria) como en la Franja de Gaza bajo el título de mártires (vivientes según el término en árabe), cuando son voluntarios en la lucha contra Israel, terminan nombrando calles, plazas, parques y hasta instituciones educativas con sus nombres. Este último aspecto me refuerza la idea de que los palestinos en algún modo son víctimas y además padecen el “Síndrome de la Mujer maltratada”.
“…El síndrome de la Mujer Maltratada es un trastorno patológico de adaptación que se da en las mujeres que son víctimas de violencia de género como resultado de un maltrato continuo…” (Lifeder.com)
La reiterada insistencia en culpar a otros de todos sus males, demuestra con fuerza que realmente no quieren aceptar sobre quiénes pesan las terribles condiciones en las que por décadas han vivido los palestinos y de este modo, la estrategia de culpar a su vecino de la totalidad de sus males ha sido el camino fácil para no abandonar a estos que durante décadas conservan el “Statu quo” sin mayor modificación, intentaré explicarlo con algunos ejemplos políticos e históricos. Sin restar por supuesto el problema que la “ocupación militar beligerante ” de algunos de sus territorios disputados durante décadas, enerva más las posiciones de los ciudadanos que se ven expuestos a culpar solamente a la “ocupación”, de todos sus problemas.

This paper tries to analyse one possible approach that has enabled us to experiment a strategy for a new settlement based on emergency structures applied in a particular context: the Gaza Strip.
First of all, due to the difference between all the paradigms of the strategies of primary health care and emergency medical assistance, the paper tries to demonstrate that there is one possible model that could be adopted as the requirement for the human condition of the Gaza Strip. In that area the most important problems are related to the lack of educational facilities, health care, relief and social services, microcredit and emergency assistance.
In addition, this paper analyses some different proposals planned by experts about the construction of artificial islands and linear systems of communication between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Our research, through a holist approach to the problem, identifies some priorities in a possible plan of intervention. By recognizing a long-term strategy, the proposal is defined within a main territorial axis into the Gaza Strip that can be considered as a basic element of a linear settlement for the realization of an emergency structure that connects Gaza City to Rafah. In the Gaza Strip this axis is immediately identifiable as a morphological feature, that is, at the same time, communication network and an element of local organization. It represents an essential element as a result of both its high degree of accessibility and its functional character.
Finally, the paper aims to survey urban problems in such a situation and considers this axis as a great opportunity in order to achieve a linear system of emergency facilities including the major cities of the Gaza Strip, passing through the greatest refugee camps and near the main crossings. Besides, this research is attending modular architecture as an adequate strategy for this case study, considering the property of flexibility, in order to increase/ decrease the settlement based on needs.