News Analysis: Gazans still in misery 10 years after Israeli disengagement

Ten years after Israel unilaterally pulled its troops out of the Gaza Strip, the territory has turned into an area of disasters, dominated by ruins and mass destructions, while its populations passed through a series of crises and acute shortage in basic humanitarian services.

Israel began to implement a unilateral withdrawal from the strip, initiated by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, from Aug. 15, 2005, which ended 38 years of Israeli military occupation. The plan was implemented with no direct negotiations with the Palestinians.

However, over the past ten years, Israel, which had physically pulled its army out and evacuated all settlements, still keeps its tight grip and blockade on the impoverished densely populated territory and turned the daily life of its 1.8 million people in a big misery.

ISRAEL'S INTEREST

Palestinian analysts and political observers believe that ten years after the Israeli disengagement, the Gaza Strip has been witnessing unsteady periods and big changes that all served Israel's interest rather than the Palestinians.

Naji Shurab, political science professor at al-Azhar University in Gaza, told Xinhua that over the past ten years, "reality on the ground in the Gaza Strip had negatively changed, mainly after it was exhausted by three destructive Israeli wars and endless internal division."

He added, "once we look at the growing rates of poverty and unemployment among the populations, who suffer from a damaged infrastructure and a weak economy, besides a series of political and social crises, we immediately understand that this was exactly Israel's goal of its unilateral withdrawal."

Shurab blamed the Palestinians for their failure in developing Gaza after Israeli disengagement, adding "instead they went on endless and silly internal battles that were so harmful to achieve their dream and develop their political and economic condition."

Nothing has been accomplished over the past ten years, according to Shurab, who added "the peace process achieved nothing and remained stalled, settlement in the West Bank had increased, the Gaza Strip remained isolated from the entire occupied Palestinian territories and internal division goes on."

PALESTINIAN DEPRESSION

Although Israel evacuated all settlements in Gaza, about 8000 settlers in 21 settlements, it is still the occupier, according to a Gaza political analyst.

"The Israeli unilateral disengagement was a kind of gesture because Israel still occupies the Gaza Strip by keeping its grip on its borders and controls its air, sea and ground," said Akram Attallah, political analyst from Gaza.

He told Xinhua that Israel keeps its tight siege on the Gaza Strip and waged three destructive wars on it, adding "this evidence shows that Israel is still occupying the Gaza Strip and this occupation hasn't seen an end yet."

"Ten years after the Israeli unilateral plan was implemented, the situation in the Gaza Strip has reached a deadlock because of the increasing hard living situation," said Attallah.

Right after Islamic Hamas movement's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007, Israel began to tighten its grip on the enclave.

Israel considered the Gaza Strip a hostile entity and kept its blockade on the territory, which doubled the populations suffering and damaged the economy.

Besides the daily suffering and the hard living condition the populations are experiencing, an internal division between Hamas and Fatah, as well as the stalemate in achieving an internal reconciliation between the two rivals, kept the populations in deep depression.

CRISIS-RIDDEN ENTITY

Palestinian observers expressed deep concerns that the endless military offensives on the Gaza Strip, tightening the blockade measures and the ongoing internal Palestinian division would lead to establishing an isolated entity that undermines the dream of establishing an independent Palestinian state.

Talal Oukal, Gaza-base think-tank and political analyst, told Xinhua that one of the long-run Israeli goals after its unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip "is to push the populations towards accepting the establishment of an isolated or separated entity in Gaza."

Oukal's remarks are based on the current international efforts to reach a long-term truce between Israel and Hamas, the ruler of Gaza, aiming at ending the Israeli siege and building a seaport for Gaza.

"Everyone believed that the Israeli withdrawal might be a start of a new stage that the Palestinians carry on towards getting more and more of their legitimate rights in the future, but unfortunately, the Israeli plan succeeded to confiscate these rights," said Oukal.

He stressed that "the situation will be dangerous if Israel succeeds in turning Gaza into a separate entity, and this needs an immediate Palestinian unity and end of division and also agreeing on a unified political strategy in the future." Endit