JERUSALEM — Is Gaza controlled by Hamas? And is Hamas the terrorist organization widely claimed?
Or is there some degree of trust? Or at least an effort at communication between Israel and Gaza?
We hear that there are 12,000 Gazans allowed into Israel. Some are business people, seeking deals. Some are workers, earning money for their families.
Israel is also reported to be looking for countries willing to accept Gazan migrants. And is willing to pay the cost of Gazans’ travel.
At the same time, there have been efforts of armed Gazans to enter Israel. And an exchange of rocket fire and air attacks. As well as at least a minor continuation of the attacks by means of balloons or kites carrying incendiary devices on the prevailing westerly winds.
And Israel allows a Qatari diplomat to bring cash into Gaza, said to be $100 dollars per family of those qualifying.
Israel has no diplomatic relations with Qatar, but that rich little country is willing to pay for some degree of Gazan quiet. We’re told that the Mossad handles dealings with Qatar.
And Israel has been careful that its occasional air attacks are against buildings likely to be empty of personnel.
There’s a lot more dealing with the West Bank.
More than 100,000 West Bankers enter Israel daily for work, and more for medical care, family visits, and religious observances. Israeli Jews also make their way into West Bank places for low cost shopping and car repairs. And Jewish Knesset Members visit with Mahmoud Abbas and hear about his plans for a peace process.
There’s also overt security cooperation between West Bank Palestinians and Israel, with much of that directed against Hamas loyalists who seek to cause damage to Israel, or West Bankers.
There are occasional efforts of West Bank Palestinians, and even Israeli Arabs, to attack Israeli Jews. Recently there seems to have been an uptick in their incidence.
And while we hear about the Israelization of Israeli Arabs, there seems to be gulf between their political parties and those that are largely Jewish.
Yet most pharmacists in the country are Arab, as are many of the nurses and physicians we are likely to encounter.
Back to Gaza– To what extent is it an island of animosity, or a place capable of accommodation?
Activists speak of a port, perhaps built on an island created offshore and open to Gazan commerce, but with some degree of Israeli control.
One of Gaza’s leaders is speaking of continuing weekend demonstrations until Israel agrees to open a port.
The demonstrations have gone on for more than a year, with ups and downs in the numbers gathering near the border, burning tires, setting off balloons or kites that burn Israeli fields, and occasionally trying to penetrate the border.
Some 300 Gazans have been killed and thousands injured by Israeli soldiers firing to keep them from the border or otherwise threatening Israel.
Such demonstrations have accomplished a degree of accommodation, but are a long way from opening a port.
Once there was an airfield. Some speak of redeveloping it, at least for short flights to Cairo.
Space is a problem. Gaza’s 30 kilometer’s length and 5 kilometer width, with considerable crowding, doesn’t leave much room for landings and take offs.
In any case, we’re a long way from the trust that would allow significant developments of port facilities.
Meanwhile, threats from Gaza come daily. Are they serious? Do they not recognize the balance of power? Or are the threats directed at keeping something like peace, or quiet, among the various Gazan factions?
And the attacks are largely said to be sporadic. That is, the work of individuals without connections to Hamas or another of the clusters. As from the West Bank. There are angry, frustrated Arabs who don’t see any other outlook for their condition other than death. And an afterlife with 70 virgins?
Perhaps the essence of the Gazan mystery is that we don’t know with whom we are seeking accommodation, and who continues to promote attacks against us. And what will gain us quiet. Or are we destined to suffer only a bit of quiet, while tension, demonstrations, and occasional attacks continue?
Those demanding aggression against Gaza come up against politicians and military personnel who ask how many soldiers must die for a questionable accommodation. Who really wants to control the two million restive Palestinians of Gaza?
Prominent among the problems is the lack of total control in Gaza.
Hamas seems to be in control, and Israel attacks Hamas positions in response to provocation, on the stated assumption that Hamas is in control.
But Islamic Jihad is a prominent competitor. It has been given credit for recent rocket attacks. With or without the consent of Hamas?
And we also hear of a split between the political and military wings of Hamas.
So who, if anyone, is really in control?
Different factions, each with their priorities and followers, make it difficult to reach any agreement likely to hold.
And the Israelis living alongside Gaza are the primary sufferers. Their kids grow in a setting where they must remain seconds away from refuge. It weighs heavily. Families are stressed, and some leave the area. They call for a settlement of the disputes. But at the expense of how many IDF casualties, as well as missiles sent throughout much of Israel. For an accomplishment not likely to hold more than months.
Currently we’re in the midst of animosity that may all trace itself to Iran, in one way or another. Nasrallah is screaming threats at us, and promising retaliation from Hezbollah. We’ve been attacking Hezbollah’s and Iranian bases in Syria and Iraq, focusing on what is ultimately directed against Israel. And Gaza is attacking, and being attacked.
Who knows what’s next?
*
Sharkansky is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University. He may be contacted via ira.sharkansky@sdjewishworld.com