Gaza Hashem and Ramadan
Since the beginning of the holy month, we have witnessed a significant flow of aid, food, and gifts that our Palestinian brothers and sisters everywhere provide to support their siblings in Gaza Hashem during Ramadan. This generosity, this magnanimity, and this honor all demonstrate that solidarity among the Palestinian people is not merely an attitude but a life philosophy, unaffected by geographical distance or partisan or tribal affiliations…
The quality and diversity of the aid delivered, which we observe through the media and social networks, as well as the nature of this generosity and its origins, fill all of us, young and old, with pride in belonging to this great people.
At the same time, we recognize that despite this very positive reality, our approach as a Palestinian people—and the world’s approach—to Gaza and its inhabitants remains selective, partial, and seasonal… Metaphorically, we can say that our handling of the situation of our people in the Gaza Strip is a numbing coping mechanism to endure the pain, rather than an effort to eliminate its root causes… Here, we must put our finger on the wound and pose the legitimate question that, despite all the positive aspects of this remarkable solidarity and generous support, has become a national imperative:
How can we move beyond the seasonality of support and the selectivity of solidarity to initiate a phase of self-help in the Gaza Strip, aiming for self-sufficiency based on the principle of aid that builds self-reliance through our own capabilities and resources… In short, we all must ask: how much longer will we cling to the principle of begging and dependence on external aid to assist the Gaza Strip?
Before answering this question, we must highlight some points about the Gaza Strip and its political and social situation that directly affect solidarity and support, albeit in different ways… These are facts that over time have become taken for granted and certainties that everyone observes and treats as immutable realities… Palestinians, Arabs, and global citizens alike handle these matters as if they were an unchangeable verdict, and the people in Gaza have no choice but to endure, call for help, and pray to the Creator!
First, the Gaza Strip is a densely populated area—this is a fact proven by experts for years and cannot be denied… But another fact, also established by experts, is that the area of the Gaza Strip corresponds roughly to that of Munich in Germany, and its population is comparable to Munich’s as well. The only difference is that Munich is treated as part of the federal state of Bavaria in all aspects of life—water, energy, waste management, employment, education, health, and so forth… In contrast, the Gaza Strip is treated in all these areas as if it were an independent state, expected to meet its needs and solve its problems alone… This is the greatest error in dealing with the Gaza Strip… The Gaza Strip is part of the occupied State of Palestine, and its problems can only be resolved from this perspective and within the framework of regional, international, and local programs, as well as in accordance with internationally recognized laws and operational standards. Any unilateral treatment of the Gaza Strip constitutes a step toward separating it as an independent entity from the State of Palestine, and those who approach Gaza from this perspective are contributing to the fragmentation of the Palestinian state and the division of its great people.
Second, the society in the Gaza Strip is young—this too is a fact proven by experts and evident to anyone who follows life and society in Gaza… This fact is not a burden, as it is often perceived in the collective consciousness of the Palestinian people and the Arab and international public; on the contrary: if this human and intellectual energy is viewed positively and provided with opportunities for professional engagement and creativity, and given the chance to realize itself and channel its enormous energy into small productive and service-oriented projects for the people in Gaza and beyond—without nepotism and discrimination—the outlook is promising.
Thirdly, the society in Gaza is conservative and traditional – this is a reality, but neither a flaw nor an obstacle to social progress, as many portray it. The society in Gaza is no more conservative or traditional than societies in southern Germany or Austria. The difference lies solely in how reality is approached. We have resigned ourselves to this reality and convinced ourselves that it is the cause of social stagnation and the lack of quality of life. This deeply ingrained belief in our collective consciousness must change first, and we must open ourselves to the possibility that society can be progressive and live in prosperity and social happiness without abandoning its heritage, customs, and traditions.
Fourthly, the Gaza Strip is besieged and indeed under occupation – a fact initially obscured by the Palestinian side and a misguided Palestinian orientation. The people in Gaza and the entire Palestinian population were deceived when the Oslo Accords were sold as salvation and Gaza was promised to become the Hong Kong of the Middle East within a few years. Our Palestinian people, especially in Gaza, awoke late and recognized the bitter reality of the Oslo Accords. Barely had they shaken off this opiate, marketed as an eternal elixir of life, than they found themselves trapped in a double prison following the evacuation of settlers and the overwhelming occupation army: the prison of Israeli occupation, which cuts off lifelines and connections with the people in the West Bank, the occupied territories, and the outside world; and the internal prison established as the Hamas emirate.
Indeed, the primary cause of the complex social and dire economic situation in the Gaza Strip is the strict siege. The main reason for the worsening of this situation is the internal division, and the principal causes of deterioration are nepotism, short-sightedness, and poor governance, all interconnected. No reasonable person can reduce the situation in Gaza selectively to occupation alone. Avoiding reality and facts and attributing the causes of Gaza’s decline solely to occupation is an evasion of truth and a shirking of responsibility to address critical questions about struggle, perseverance, national responsibility, accountability, and political performance.
At first glance, these four points may seem distant from the article’s title and core issue, but with a broader perspective beyond conventional reflection and the limits of dealing with reality, we see the matter differently. The dialectic is that Gaza is free from the actual presence of the occupation army yet stands as the spearhead in the fight against the siege and Zionist tyranny. Gaza is also the poorest area with the highest unemployment rate in occupied Palestine, but this has not stopped its people, as we observe in the West Bank, from fighting and persevering. Despite daily hardships, Gaza periodically inspires the Palestinian people with hope and strength through its resistance, struggle, and persistence amid all social, economic, and political difficulties. In other words, the composition of Gaza’s society—despite poverty, unemployment, conservatism, tradition, and siege from all sides—does not prevent it from looking forward, fighting for a better situation, and striving to change reality despite the four mentioned points. Our people in Gaza do everything they can to improve their economic, social, and political conditions. Occasional expressions of solidarity, though important, are insufficient to help realize their project. Neither are the sometimes selective and interrupted support actions, though necessary, nor the seasonal solidarity declarations following every war or massacre by the occupation, though these honorable stances are urgently needed. What Gaza as a people and society requires is continuous and sustained support and solidarity to make a significant political, social, and economic leap that will make us all look with pride and honor at the people of Gaza Hashem.
My initial question was more a call and cry for a realistic approach to Gaza’s situation, far from past traditions and outdated mechanisms, and away from begging others, whether in the West or the Arab world. I am firmly convinced that the Palestinian people possess both the objective and subjective capabilities to organize continuous solidarity and support actions for the Gaza Strip—not only to strengthen their resistance in Gaza Hashem and support their fight against siege and tyranny but also to help them overcome their living, economic, and social crises through their own strength and scientific and professional skills. Here, I will present two simple practical examples of how to build continuous solidarity and support actions based on the simple Palestinian agricultural principle: “You only scratch where it itches.” After a few years, we could witness a Gaza Strip very different from today.
The first idea – The global Palestinian population is about 12 million. Assuming half have very low incomes and cannot assist others, six million remain. If we then consider that a third of these are mentally and emotionally detached from Palestine and no longer care about Palestine or its people, four million remain. Further assuming that three-quarters of these distrust Palestinian parties, authorities, and institutions due to negative past experiences and fear nepotism and corruption despite wanting to help, one million Palestinians remain who want to help and have the means to do so. If each gave one dollar daily to support their people in Gaza, this would amount to 365 million dollars annually (one million people * one dollar per day * 365 days). With this sum, we could annually grant interest-free loans to young men and women with new craft and service-oriented ideas who want to produce and offer these in Gaza, provide aid for affected families to renovate and restore their homes, and offer loans to farmers to develop agriculture and increase production to achieve self-sufficiency in agricultural and animal products in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, funds could be allocated to the health and service sectors, such as water and waste management.
The second idea – Every year, more than twenty thousand Palestinians travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the pilgrimage (Hajj and Umrah), spending enormous sums. Most of this money is taken by the Saudi rulers and spent on the luxury of their princes in Europe and America, as well as on purchasing weapons used to kill Muslims in Yemen, Syria, and to support global terrorism, especially in the Islamic world. Another portion is retained by religious brokers and pilgrimage merchants. Meanwhile, our people live under tragic and inhumane conditions in the Gaza Strip. The question arises: Is it God’s will to give our money to a group that uses it to kill Muslims while Muslims from our own people need bread to live and dignified housing? I am firmly convinced that the Creator, whom we praise in every prayer as “Merciful, Compassionate,” is forgiving and merciful if pilgrims from Palestine forgo the journey to Saudi Arabia and instead give the money to the needy among their own people. I also wonder why imams, jurists, and scholars in Palestine, who focus on pursuing and arresting fasting breakers during Ramadan and issuing legal opinions on clothing and rituals, have not authorized the donation of pilgrims’ funds to their own people instead of giving them to the Saudi rulers, who spend the money on luxury, alcohol, and prostitution in Europe and kill innocent people in Yemen.
The expenses of a single pilgrim amount to at least 5,000 dollars per visit. This means that Palestinians spend at least 100 million dollars annually on Hajj and Umrah (20,000 pilgrims * 5,000 dollars). This enormous sum could, in the first year, equip ten thousand houses with solar energy to solve the electricity problem or build three treatment plants to process one hundred thousand cubic meters of wastewater for agriculture, instead of polluting the groundwater in the Gaza Strip.
Our people in the Gaza Strip live under extraordinary and unnatural conditions, and pleading with Europe or relying on seasonal solidarity is insufficient to bring about meaningful change… The great Palestinian people do not require aid from others; what they need is unity—standing together and working hand in hand for a dignified life, sustained resistance, and a successful struggle for the courageous people of Gaza Hashem… In exceptional circumstances, we must adopt exceptional ideas and strategies, free from seasonality and selectivity… The welfare of the people must take precedence over all interests… This must be our sole motto and our only strategy.
