PACS (Fall '09) Gaza Strip

Hamas (Gaza Strip) : 

Hamas (Gaza Strip) Head of State: ThasveenSandhu Military Leader: Lauren Berke Secretary of State: Jessica Afonso

Armies of God : 

Armies of God Jihadists Jihad – A Holy war waged by the Muslims against infidels Infidels – An unbeliever with respect to particular religion, especially Christianity or Islam

Children of the Stone : 

Children of the Stone - When Israel attacked, Gaza had little military resources - Stones were the only weapons they had to defend themselves

Suicide Bombers : 

Suicide Bombers Suicide Bombers – a terrorist who blows himself up in order to kill or injure other people

Checkpoints : 

Checkpoints Checkpoints were established to prevent suicide bombers from getting into Israeli land They exist wherever Muslim land meets Israeli land

: 

Location - Vulnerability

The Qu’uran and Holy War : 

The Qu’uran and Holy War Jews believe the land was given to them by God after serving as slaves to the Egyptians Muslims believe that the land was given to Muhammad by God

Religious Feud : 

Religious Feud Religious differences provide as a seed for conflict that has flourished between the Jews and Muslims VIDEO

Water Supply In Danger : 

Water Supply In Danger International Committee of Red Cross warns that safe water supply could collapse at any moment Outbreak of infections could begin at any time

Water Effects : 

Water Effects Increase in diarrhea Babies born with blue tinge Over-extraction of salt-water

Pollution : 

Pollution Toxic levels are high enough to put infants at risk for nitrate poisoning Only 5 – 10% of Gaza’s water supply is safe for human consumption

Gaza vs. Israel : 

Gaza vs. Israel Average daily consumption is around 91 liters World Health Organization suggests at least 100 – 150 liters Israel consumes 280 liters daily

War Crimes Ignored : 

War Crimes Ignored UN concludes that the 22-day attack on Palestinians could be charged against Israel Palestinians killed = 1,387 people Israelis killed = 4

Gaza Statistics : 

Gaza Statistics 80% of the Gazan population lives in poverty 34% of Gaza unemployed 90% of the population depends on food aid

America’s Attempt For Peace : 

America’s Attempt For Peace Obama’s plan to settle two-state solution between Palestine & Israel failed Former Senator, George Mitchell, made several trips to Israel offering negotiations which were refused. Obama requested Israel “restrain” itself from devouring more Palestinian land

Gaza’s Restrictive Living Conditions : 

Gaza’s Restrictive Living Conditions Goods & Prices Overly expensive items that most Gazans cannot afford Few recreational activities for children and youth The single wood-paneled stage that Gazans had as a theatre venue was destroyed by Israelis Lack of Luxuries Most Gazans cannot afford school clothing or books 80 million liters of sewage dumped DAILY in the ocean surrounding the Gaza strip

Casualties : 

Casualties According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights 1,419 Palestinians were killed in the war waged upon them by Israel last winter 252 were actual combatants, the rest were civilians and children Israeli government claimed 1,166 were killed, and 60% of them were armed militants

Hamas’ Readiness : 

Hamas’ Readiness KhaledMeshaal claims that "Hamas and other Palestinian groups are ready to cooperate with any American, international or regional effort to find a just solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, to end the Israeli occupation and to grant the Palestinian people their right of self-determination."

Ideology : 

Ideology Ideology and Goals of Hamas : “Our people have been the victims of a colonial project called Israel. For years, we have suffered various forms of repression. Half of our people have been dispossessed and are denied the right to return to their homes, and half live under an occupation regime that violates their basic human rights. Hamas struggles for an end to occupation and for the restoration of our people's rights, including their right to return home”(KhaledMeshaal).

Reunite the Palestinians : 

Reunite the Palestinians Foreign interventions and demands must cease to continue Palestinians must respect the democratic game

Recognition : 

Recognition In the past, Yasser Arafat recognized Israel but failed to achieve much. Today, MahmoudAbbasrecognizes Israel, but we have yet to see any of the promised dividends of the peace process.

Action that needs to be taken : 

Action that needs to be taken Countries such as the US and Britain should simply uphold international law to assist a peaceful settlement –“the occupation is illegal, the annexation of East Jerusalem is illegal, the settlements are illegal, the apartheid wall is illegal, and the siege of Gaza is illegal. Yet nothing is done.”(KhaledMeshaal).

The Bias : 

The Bias If the present policy of Palestinian President MahmoudAbbas fails, what will happen? KhaledMeshal says that “When Abbas’s policy fails, and the policy of liquidating [the Palestinian problem] fails, and the negotiations fail—because of the Israelis’ rigidity, America’s one-sidedness, and the absence of any international desire to press Israel to end its occupation—the strong message of the Palestinian people will be that they have no alternative but to resist.”

Hamas’ Position among Palestinians : 

Hamas’ Position among Palestinians Hamas’s support from the Arab world: “Hamas is in the rallying of the Palestinian people around it. [Also] Hamas’s power is in the support of the peoples of the Arab and Muslim worlds. This is our true power. As for the Arab governments, you know that they are subject to American pressures. But even with that, we are in constant contact with the Arab governments.”(KhaledMeshaal).

Recognition : 

Recognition Hamas's refusal to recognise Israel is frequently cited as an insuperable obstacle to negotiations and a peace settlement. And Hamas leader KhaledMeshaal believes that “This issue is only used as a pretext. Israel does not recognise the rights of the Palestinian people, yet this is not raised as an obstacle to 
Israel being internationally recognised nor to it being allowed to take part in talks. The reality is that Israel is the one that occupies the land and possesses superior power. Rather than ask the Palestinians, who are the victims, it is Israel, who is the oppressor, who should be asked to recognise the rights of the Palestinians.