The Arab Spring continues to flower in Egypt and old crumbling walls are falling down and offering new pastures. Egypt's decision to permanently open the Rafah border crossing is an important step for the Egyptians in creating a government that is free of corruption and this will also help combat corruption as a whole within its borders. The Rafah border crossing between the Sinai and Gaza has been closed or at least highly restrictive of Palestinian traffic for many years with a Hosni Mubarak Egypt working in collaboration with the Israeli government. The blockade of this border crossing has imprisoned 1.6 million Palestinians in a land mass only twice as large as Washington, D.C. according to cia.gov. Not only have these people been unable to move outside of this territory, but the blockade has sufficiently destroyed the economy. As a result, a huge black market enterprise arose with major smuggling tunnels constructed between Gaza and Egypt. The Israeli blockade of the Gaza strip and Egypt's role in closing the Rafah border crossing was meant to cripple Hamas, which came to power in 2007, but it has only succeeded in forcing the Gazans to accept an illegal practice as their only viable means of economic growth. On the other side of the blockade, corruption has been encouraged in Egypt as many have come to profit from this illegal trade and the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza.
With the opening of the Rafah border, the new Egypt has continued to share its hope and vision of a better tomorrow with the protection of human rights. Not only does this action demonstrate a vested interest in the well being of the Palestinians, but it also shows the dedication of the Egyptians to destroy the corrupt practices of the past that have crippled their own nation. I believe that this will not only help Egypt in its goals to create a legitimate democratic nation, but it will also go a long way to moderating Hamas. Prior to the opening of the border, Hamas was an extremist governing body, whose people were caged like animals. Extremism can only grow in such circumstances. Now that the Palestinians in Gaza will have greater mobility and exposure to new forms of governing, there is a greater chance that Hamas will need to moderate its positions in order to remain in power in Gaza.
It is understandable that Israel wants to protect itself from an entity that has on many occasions expressed its desire for its eradication, but the blockades have not been and are not the answer for greater security. With the blockades, there is really nothing for the Palestinians in Gaza to lose. Many have already lost their homes and, without proper building supplies, can't build new ones. With a crippled economy, there isn't much hope for a better future either. Although I do not advocate violence as an answer to solving problems, I can understand why violence occurs in this situation. When it comes down to it, people are the same all over the world and if we are in life threatening situations or our families are in danger, we will do what we think is necessary to protect ourselves and our loved ones and sometimes our options do lead us to violence. This type of violence in the United States has been deemed self defense and is not a punishable offense.
I would suggest that much of the violence that comes from Gaza should be viewed in the lines of self defense or better--self preservation. The blockades only increase Israels image as an enemy to the Palestinians. I believe it is in the best interest of Israel and the Palestinians for Israel to lift the blockades and allow the Palestinians to rebuild their infrastructures. This would make them far less reliant on illegitimate sources, who have been the only ones willing to help and do so obviously with their own agendas in mind. Restoring dignity to the Palestinians and allowing them to feel capable of providing for the well being and security of their families can only reduce extremism among them, which ultimately translates into a more stable Palestine and a more secure Israel.
Kudos on the self-defense comment.
ReplyDeleteA book, creatively entitled "Hamas", concludes the way to get Hamas out of power is to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza so the people don't have to rely on alternative solutions that put violence in power. However, Weber would not agree because regardless of who provides the aid, Hamas controls the violence. Unfortunately despite much thought, I currently can only conclude that this is an extremely sticky situation.
Yet I would like to debunk the idea that education is the answer. While education is a wonderful tool, opportunity is the answer. Look at the high number of engineers living in the Gaza Strip. They have plenty of education but lack opportunity...or at least they did. Now things might be different.
While Capo did not coin the phrase "Arab Spring" I am glad he uses it because it is not the "Egyptian Spring" nor the "Tunisian Spring" but a term which truly applies to the broader Arab population. I am very proud of Egypt's decision to open the Rafa crossing and I hope further progress will be made.