Religion, Nationalism, and Terror

Dion Nissenbaum’s Blog: Checkpoint Jerusalem, January 23, 2008

Mahmoud Abu Ghalion sat in a Gaza City kitchen, debating whether or not to join the throngs of Palestinians flooding over the broken border into Egypt.

“You know,” the young property manager said, “I feel better just knowing that we can leave. I can breathe easier.”

“See,” said one of his friends, “we are chasing the illusion of freedom.”

Palestinian militants may have created a temporary escape valve for Gaza’s 1.5 million residents. But the seven-month-old standoff is far from over.

“This is how pathetic the situation has become that people have to literally break out of Gaza just to get food and fuel,” said John Ging, the Gaza City-based director of the United Nations refugee agency. “There is no dignity for anybody.”

While walking along the toppled border wall and watching Egyptian soldiers directing Palestinians to the places they were allowed to cross into Egypt, an older man with bad teeth and scruffy white beard came up to me and opened up a small sack.

Inside was a small box of dish washing soap he had bought in Egypt.

Look at what we are reduced to, said the Palestinian man.

While Palestinians were streaming past Egyptian border guards and off on their Egyptian shopping expeditions, Israel was again cutting off the flow of fuel for Gaza’s only power plant.

Israel delivered less fuel than expected and the power plant operators said tonight that they may have to shut down one of their generators as soon as Thursday to conserve fuel for a few days. That means it will be producing about half the amount of power. That means more Gaza City blackouts.

And even a one-day Egyptian shopping spree is only going to get families so far. Without a political solution that creates normal borders, Gaza residents will very quickly run out of supplies once again.

Late tonight, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed little sympathy.

“There is no justification or basis to demand that we allow the residents of Gaza to live normal lives while mortars are fired and missiles are launched from their streets and the courtyards of their homes towards Sderot and the communities in the South,” said Olmert.

For now, the open border is proving to be a much-needed escape valve for Palestinians.