GAZA by Max Watts, Feb 2008

The establishment media in Australia, the USA, Western Europe, have excelled themselves in their mis- or not-at-all reporting on events in Gaza, events which may yet introduce a major change into world politics. Not that this could be understood from these media. Faute de mieux, as there seem to be few others willing to do this, I=ll try and unravel some of the bullshit or silences of the past days. Some background information is necessary. First the Aestablishment media line@, in bold, followed by my comments.

The Israeli Blockade of Gaza is a response to Hamas rockets fired at Sderot. If only there were no such rocketeering, there would be no blockade.

This is Utter and Total Bullshit. The enclosure of Gaza, and in fact of all APalestine@ (including the West Bank) has been and is a fundamental policy of the Israeli and American governments. These governments have always insisted that any movement into and out of Palestine be and remain under the total control of the Israeli government.

This policy has been enforced till now at all times.

Gazans, and other Palestinians, are not supposed to leave or enter without passing thru Israeli controls, whether towards Egypt at Rafa, Jordan at the Allenby Jordan bridge, into Israel proper or through Israel=s international airport at Lydda. These controls can be tightened and/or relaxed at the Israeli government choice. For Asecurity reasons@, such as Israeli holidays. Or Ajust so@. The Israeli government does consult with Washington. The Palestinian Agovernments@ have no say whatsoever in the matter.

The planned Palestinian airport at Gaza never operated, nor did the planned harbour. Boats from Gaza (including fishing boats) going into deep water are routinely shot at and sunk by the Israeli navy. Nor are ships allowed to enter Gaza waters. A major wall/fence separates Gaza from Israel. There B despite various promises - has never been any free Auncontrolled@ passage between Gaza and the AWest Bank@ of Palestine.

Only quite Aillegal@ tunnels from Gaza to Egypt have bypassed these long-established control/blockades@

The official reason given for these blockades is Israeli security.

The same reason is given for the apartheid wall, separating Israel Aproper@ from the West Bank Palestine, and for the multitude of roadblocks and intermittent blockades separating Palestinian towns and villages from each other within the West Bank. The question of Palestinian security is never raised.

The Asecurity reason is used by the Israeli government both within Israel (where some may believe it) and constantly in the Aouter world@, the USA and Europe. It has little to do with reality.

In the Palestinian West Bank the wall is never built within AIsrael@ proper. It is always somewhere inside the remaining 22% of AArab@ Palestine. I.e. it is not the supposed security fence (which could be built inside Israel) but a simple land-grab.

The Gaza blockade, tightened by the Israeli government and army since the withdrawal of Israeli settlers from Gaza, is not a land grab. It has a different, quite clearly defined, reason:

Hamas, which won the parliamentary election in Palestine, is unacceptable to the Israeli and American governments. Hamas pre-empted a planned anti-Hamas military coup by a Fatah group inside Gaza, and now administers Gaza. Although Hamas has not recognised the State of Israel (nor have Israeli governments recognised the State of Palestine) Hamas has frequently proposed negotiations and cease-fires, no rocketing of Sderot if the targetted assassination, killings, of Gazans stopped, to the Israeli governments. These cease-fire offers have been systematically refused. Such negotiations would Arecognise@ the Aterrorist@ Hamas and are thus unacceptable for the Israeli government, and for its financier, the , =Americans. They would defeat the purpose of the blockade, consolidate Hamas.

The purpose of the blockade and Asqueezing@ of Gaza is B this is clearly expressed by Israeli establishment thinkers B intended to lead to the overthrow of the Hamas administration in Gaza. The Gazan population, suffering, was expected to rise up against its Hamas leaders.

The anti-Hamas blockade of Gaza has been unsuccessful. It created great misery, but - if anything - consolidated Hamas rule.

The establishment media treat the Egyptian government=s financial dependence on American subsidies with (almost) total silence.

Instead they waffle about Mubarak=s hostility to the Moslem brotherhood, its links to Hamas, or on Aagreements made with Israel@ to explain Egyptian reasons for closing the Gaza border.

Perhaps the most critical factor is B for the Mubarak dictatorship B the question to what extent obeying American (and Israeli) orders to close the border can cost Mubarak the support of significant sections of the Egyptian army. If mass resistance to border closure by the Gazans continues, simply stringing barbed wire over the torn down wall gaps would need to be backed up by Ashoot to kill@ orders. Some Egyptian police units may obey, but this policy would create enormous tensions for both rank and file Egyptian soldiers and some of their officers.

Our studies* did not consiser ot consider the Egyptian military (except marginally, in its anti-British Imperialist role of the 1950=s)B but noted that inrelatively poor countries (such as Egypt) SOLDIERS do NOT normally develop the kind of independent resistance, RITA, movements which sprung up in many highly capitalised, i.e richer, countries, in the USA, in Western Europe) after the mid-1960s.

However, under certain conditions some officers in Apoor@ countries may begin to effectively resist their rulers. In Egypt, Neguib, then Nasser, ended not only the Farouk rule, but also the long-established British domination. And once such officer resistance gains a foot-hold, rank and file soldiers can quickly begin their own movements. (Examples: Portugal: 1974-75; Papua New Guinea: 1997).

Whether eventual confrontations in Gaza will spark such resistance movements in the Egyptian military remains an unknown of enormous significance.

Mubarak may do much, including making concessions to Hamas, to prevent such developments. In the last analysis however, ORDINARY GAZANS COULD BECOME THE ARBITRATORS OF THEIR, EGYPT'S, AND PALESTINE'S FUTURE. A continued MASS MOVEMENT, A MASSIVE MAINTAINED BREAKOUT may change much of future history.

* See ALeft Face B Soldier Unions and Resistance Movements in Modern Armies@ B Cortright, David & Watts, Max - Greenwood Press, 1991)

Max Watts is an independent journalist with a specific interest in.RITA (Resistance in the Army )