I’ve been two Gaza twice in my life, and I don’t imagine that I’ll ever be going back. But as this war rages on, I am recalling the circumstances under which I was there.
In 1983, at the age of 19, I was on a student trip to Israel, and our bus stopped at a densely populated impoverished Palestinian refugee camp in Gaza, but I do not recall the name of the camp. At the time, I knew very little about the political situation of Israel, Gaza or the West Bank. That was 50 years ago, and I found my photos of Gazan children that I took then, in an old yellowed photo album.
I mention this now, because I have been wondering when the fighting is over and Gaza is rebuilt, whether the Palestinian refugee camps in Gaza finally will be dismantled, and permanent homes for Gazans will be built there in their place. Israel certainly will not be agreeing to let the descendants of 1948 Palestinian refugees now living in Gaza ever return to live in Israel, such that it does not make any sense to me to keep Gazans in refugee camps anymore, with the idea that they one day they will be able to return to places in Israel such as Ashkelon, Ashdod, or Jaffa. It will be time to make it clear to the Arab world that the days of keeping Gaza’s Palestinians in refugee camps, so as to keep the conflict going, are over.
On that same trip in 1983, we stopped to see an ancient mosaic synagogue floor near the sea, that dates back to the early sixth century, which was found in 1965 on the outskirts of Gaza city. I mention that now, because I recall how Gaza’s coastline was beautiful. In 2005, when Israel withdrew unilaterally from Gaza, Gazans had an opportunity to capitalize on the beauty of its coastline and build a tourist infrastructure, instead of a terror infrastructure. Gazans elected Hamas in a “democratic election” notwithstanding Hamas’s charter to eradicate Israel and Jews in general. While there may be many in Gaza who have not supported Hamas, it is unclear to me prior to Oct 7 what percentage of the Gazan population they made up, and since there have been no elections, it is really impossible to know.
Israelis, however, do know that there were many (hundreds) of Gazans who followed Hamas on Oct 7 through the fence which was ruptured in 30 locations and joined in the slaughter and rapes that occured, and many other Gazans who beat and spat at the Israeli woman who was paraded through their steets after being raped, while other Gazans cheered the slaughter by giving out candy.
I was in Gaza a second time in the 1980’s before the First Intifada broke out, but it was not as a result of my initiative. I was part of a group of four Winnipeggers who became camp counsellors at a day camp in the town of Gan Yavne in southern Israel for what was then called the UJA. We ran an English immersion summer camp designed to have Ashkenazi children who lived in one part of Gan Yavne integrate with Sephardi children from more underpriviledged backgrounds who lived in a different part of the town, with the goal of improving their English language skills.
Ehud, the stocky Yemenite Israeli who ran the Gan Yavne summer camp arranged for our an overnight tiyul, ( trip,) for two nights with the Israeli children ages 8-15 to be in a Jewish settlement in Gaza (of all places), although it's been so long ago I do not remember the name of where we stayed. We had one not particularly imposing Israeli armed guard on the bus for protection. Gaza was a mere 24 miles from Gan Yavne, such that it didn’t take long to get there. We sang English songs we had to taught the children during the bus ride. I remember that the beach we swam in, and sand dunes where we had jeep rides were beautiful. But I also thought at the time that Gaza, which Egypt annexed from 1948-1967 after Israel’s War of Independence, and which Israel captured in the 1967 Six Day War, with its hostile large Palestinian population, really may not have been the safest place for us to be taking these children.
The reason I mention this now is that under then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005 when the approximately 8,000 Jewish settlers who lived in settlements in Gaza were uprooted and Israeli troops withdrawn. Most of the Jewish Israel population at the time supported that 2005 withdrawal, as from a demographic sense they saw it as essential to not rule over a large Palestinian population, and Sharon also promised it would enhance the country's overalls security.
In 2015, ten years after the disengagement, Isaac Herzog, who is today Israel's President ,said he opposed the "unilateral" nature of the withdrawal and that any future territorial compromises to the Palestinians ought be the result of a peace accord, but that the withdrawal made sense from a demographic standpoint.
There are voices within the right wing of Israel now, who have been calling for Israel to re-build the Gaza settlements it uprooted in 2005, but I do not see that as likely to happen. In fact, on Nov 11, Netanyahu ruled out rebuilding settlements in the Gaza Strip, saying it would not be “realistic” and that he’s driven by security considerations.
It's important to know that Gazans are beginning to openly criticise Hamas. On Nov 10, Israel channel 12 televison showed clips of Gazan Palestinians criticizing Hamas for bringing destruction on Gaza. There was a clip of a little girl who who said "Hamas is in the tunnels, while Gazan's are being sacrificed" Another man shouted that Hamas leaders who live in Qatar are in “heaven” while we are living “in hell.” The criticism shows Gazans are less afraid of Hamas—they know Hamas has “sacrificed Gaza.”
On Nov 11, Netanyahu also said that the Israeli military will remain in Gaza “as long as it takes” to prevent the enclave from being used to launch terror attacks against Israel. This is not something that the U.S. has wanted to hear, as Biden has warned Israel against re-occupying Gaza, and turning the clock backward, suggesting that the IDF remain in Gaza only temporarily until a "revitalized" Palestinian Authority would be able to rule the Gaza Strip. The US has made it clear that the end game must be real negotatians for a two state secenario. Netanyhau on the other hand has said he opposes the Palestinian Authority ruling over Gaza, since the PA pays families of terrorist "martyrs", and has not condemned the Oct 7 attacks. [Update-the IDF now says that "local clans" in Gaza can administer the civilian needs of
Gaza once the war is over].
The US tried to get Egypt to agree to administer Gaza once the war is over, but Egypt flat out refused. Netanyahu has also said "Security control includes the ability to enter whenever needed to eliminate terrorists who may resurface," adding, "There will be no Hamas; there will be no civil authority there indoctrinating their children to hate Israel, to kill civilians, and to destroy the State of Israel."
Israel has not been clear about who it sees as ruling over Gaza long term, and I would guess there are a number of differing opinions --such as an international alliance that includes Arab states, or a new set of leaders from Gaza who are inclined to co-exist with Israel, or those who have survived Hamas’ 16-year purge of democratically inclined civilians, or possibly former Fatah strongman Mohammed Dahlan, who hails from Gaza.
While Israel sees this war continuing for quite some time, it remains to be seen how long the US will support this, and whether there will be a return the Israeli hostages.
At some point there will be elections in Israel and they will be about the future of Gaza and whether Israelis favour a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza or not. Both former Prime Minsiter Barak and former Prime Minister Olmert have recently given interviews backing a two state solution, thereby being in sync with the US position and other Western countries. Yesh Atid's Yair Lapid has said that the only one who can take responsibility for Gaza after defeating Hamas is the PA, but has since walked that back and has added,that the IDF must have control over security in Gaza in the short term.
The centre- right of the country opposes a two state solution. National Unity leader Benny Gantz, who is considered a centrist, said in 2022 to the Jerusalem Post that Palestinians will have " an entity," not a state, as Israeli security needs would have to be respected, but Gantz, will have to outline more clearly exactly what his position is at some point in the future, in light of the Oct 7 attacks. Former Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren has said the reason that a majority of Israelis now oppose a two state solution is that "They know that Hamas would take over the nascent Palestinian state in a day."
I won't presume to know what the results will be of the next Israeli elections, as much will depend on what happens in the war in Gaza and future regional developments. But I have been thinking about my recent conversation with a young Israeli who has always identified himself on the left. He said that "My friends on the left back this war" and wondered out loud, "What if we gave back the West Bank and got an Iranian proxy Hamas state?"
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