The next explosion

Hamas extremists are capitalising on the suffering of ordinary Gazans, writes Emad Gad*

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Over the past few weeks, international relief organisations operating in the occupied Palestinian territories have been warning of the catastrophic situation in Gaza. Israel's decision to reduce the supply of fuel to Gaza may soon bring work in vital institutions to a halt. UNRWA (the UN Relief and Works Agency) said that it might have to stop its relief operations, which benefit more than half of the 1.5 million inhabitants of Gaza, because of fuel shortages and the continuing siege.

According to international reports, the situation in Gaza is worse today than it has ever been since the occupation started over 40 years ago. Meanwhile, we see no international effort being exerted to end the siege or resolve the Fatah-Hamas conflict that triggered the current crisis. Even Hamas, the de factoruler of Gaza, doesn't seem to be doing much to end its quarrel with Fatah.

The situation in Gaza is truly tragic, with civilians suffering from hunger as well as military attacks and restrictions on movement. The situation in the West Bank is relatively better, where the internationally recognised Ramallah government continues to receive aid from abroad and fuel from Israel.

As the tragedy unfolds, no international power seems ready to address the situation. When the Quartet met in London last week, it blamed Arab countries for the deterioration in humanitarian conditions in Gaza, calling for prompt delivery of the financial aid Arabs had promised the Palestinians.

If money alone was the problem, perhaps countries that promised over $7 billion to the Palestinians in the Paris Donors Conference should be urged to pay up. But money is not the question here. What matters is the shocking situation in the Palestinian territories, especially in Gaza, as well as the indifference of major powers. The political wrangling of Hamas and Fatah couldn't have come at a worse time.

As the crisis got worse, several Hamas leaders hinted to the possibility of breaking through the border of Egypt, in a replay of the events of last January. Their statements alienated Egypt, the country that has been sponsoring talks among Palestinian factions in Cairo in the hope of brokering a deal with Israel. Just as Egypt seemed to make headway, someone in Hamas claimed that Egypt promised to open the Rafah crossing unilaterally should Israel turn down Hamas's truce offer -- something that Egypt categorically denied.

The situation in Gaza is grim. On the one hand, Israel is blockading the Strip, reducing its supplies of food and fuel, and carrying out so-called targeted killings that end up in the slaughter of innocent civilians. On the other hand, international powers don't seem to care much. The matter has not been discussed in competent international institutions, at least not in any urgent manner. When the topic was brought up at the UN Security Council, the session ended after the Libyan envoy used language that was considered unacceptable by the US, French and UK envoys. Then Israel turned down the truce offer made by Palestinian factions in Cairo.

The main parties to the problem are making it worse. Hamas wants Egypt to open its border unilaterally, but it hasn't reacted seriously to Egyptian proposals concerning the resumption of talks with Fatah. If successful, such talks could lead to the official reopening of Rafah under the management of the Palestinian Authority, as well as to the return of European observers. Hamas wouldn't be giving away anything, apart from its control of the crossing. In other words, Hamas can get the crossing opened and end the suffering of Gaza's inhabitants, but all it can think of for now is how to get Egypt to open the border unilaterally.

It is sad when a humanitarian crisis is turned into a power game. Ordinary Palestinians now have to suffer twice: once for Israel's arrogance and again for the one-upmanship of their leaders. The wish of Hamas to make political capital out of the suffering of Gaza's inhabitants is simply unacceptable.

The situation of Gaza is an atrocity of the first order. Similar situations in the past have sent the Americans, guns blazing, into other countries, asserting the right for "humanitarian intervention". Now we have human rights violations that no one cares about. We have breaches of the Geneva Conventions that no one seems to notice. And we have radicals capitalising on the whole thing, gaining credibility among the civilian population, and posing an enduring threat to the entire region. Only radical extremists benefit from such a situation. Only they can delight in the prospect of a world haunted by irreconcilable ideologies.

* The writer is editor-in-chief of Mokhtarat Israelia [Israeli Selections], a monthly journal published by the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, and secretary-general of the non-governmental Arabs Against Discrimination.