UN Secretary-General in Gaza

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon delivers remarks during a press conference on 20 January in front of a damaged warehouse belonging to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for the Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Headquarters in Gaza (Credits: UN Photo, Eskinder Debebe)

Gaza Conflict Day 22: Unilateral cease-fire and Crimes against Humanity

On Friday evening, the staff unions of various UN agencies working in Lebanon organised a vigil in front of the UN building in downtown Beirut following the tragic and devastating loss of innocent lives in Gaza.

Last night, at 2am local time, after a long cabinet meeting, the Israeli government finally decided on a unilateral cease-fire. The question is, a cease-fire with who? As Israel does not recognise Hamas, it cannot negotiate any kind of deal with the group. Another question is how a cease-fire can be unilateral? If only one party agrees to halt fighting, how does this ensure that the conflict actually does stop? And in the case of Palestine, what about freedom, the right of return for the refugees, the right to land and to control of their own borders? What about the right to be free of occupation? And finally, what about the right to an independent state?

Well this morning's events proves these questions to be relevent. Indeed, as reported on Israel's English daily The Haaretz online, IDF and Hamas gunmen traded fire after Hamas launched more rockets into Israel, despite the cease-fire. Furthermore, according to Ehud Olmert, Israeli troops will remain in the Strip (occupying once again that land) as long as Hamas continues to fire rockets.

When I read international media, I find it surprising how this conflict is portrayed and even more surprising how Hamas and its actions are described. Why does everyone think that Hamas is firing rockets just because it feels like it and just because its members are blood thirsty terrorists? Even European media does not get to the bottom of the story. That is actually the problem with journalism, short stories portraying some facts (not all) and never reminding us of the root causes and the history. In the context of the Israel-Palestine conflict, history is very important.

Since Israel's onslaught on Gaza, international law professionals and intellectuals, including Richard Falk, the Princeton professor who was appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, have brought up the issue of potential legal action against Israel for war crimes and crimes against humanity. This of course all depends on how the US will veto these attempts.

According to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, Crimes against humanity, "are particularly odious offences in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings. They are not isolated or sporadic events, but are part either of a government policy (although the perpetrators need not identify themselves with this policy) or of a wide practice of atrocities tolerated or condoned by a government or a de facto authority. However, murder, extermination, torture, rape, political, racial, or religious persecution and other inhumane acts reach the threshold of crimes against humanity only if they are part of a widespread or systematic practice. Isolated inhumane acts of this nature may constitute grave infringements of human rights, or depending on the circumstances, war crimes, but may fall short of falling into the category of crimes under discussion."

War Crimes are grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions which includes among other acts, harming civilians, destroying property, directing attacks at UN and humanitarian facilities and staff, settling on occupied territory and using poisonous weapons. Does this not sound all too familiar lately?

The Gaza Conflict - Day 16

I woke up this morning and turned on the TV to CNN and BBC, to watch yet another day of genocide in the Gaza Strip. How privileged am I to wake up in a comfortable apartment in Beirut, after a long night's peaceful rest with the prospect of a nutritious breakfast. I also swiched on my computer to read more of the many emails I receive from Palestinian friends and colleagues, following the events closely.

Last week, when the UN Security Council finally came to an agreement on a resolution, the US abstained and both warring parties "brushed it off". A stir of emotions flooded me, perhaps due to my naive belief in International Law and binding UN resolutions. I started to think that perhaps, in this region, the UN has no effective role to play. I then began existentially questioning my own function in the UN here. Is the UN relevent anymore?

I read today that last week, the Democratic-led U.S. Senate enacted - via a cowardly voice vote - a completely one-sided, non-binding resolution that expresses unequivocal support for the Israeli war, and heaps all the blame for the conflict on Hamas. Senator Harry Reid proudly proclaimed: "When we pass this resolution, the United States Senate will strengthen our historic bond with the state of Israel." On its website, AIPAC (the pro-Israel lobby in Washington) is already patting the U.S. Senate on its back "for conveying America's unequivocal and steadfast support for Israel's right to self-defense." Here is the resolution referred to as "revolting" by most pro-Palestinian intellectuals: Click here.

Hezbollah also warned Israel once again that it is well prepared to defend Lebanon against any attack on that front.

There is enough reporting and analysis on Gaza for me not to write more on it here. So I thought of suggesting two books which are very relevent today and which I read a few months ago:

1) Zaki Chehab's "Inside Hamas: The Untold Story of Militants, Martyrs and Spies" publised by I.B. Tauris in 2007. Brilliant account of the birth and life of Hamas. Chehab was born in Tyre in South Lebanon as a Palestinian refugee, his family having fled Northern Israel in 1948, living in Rashidieh Refugee Camp. His is now a brilliant international journalist. He gave a passionate interview a few days ago on the BBC when interviewed on the Gaza crisis. This book should be read by all trying to follow and understand current events in Gaza.

2) Augustus Norton's "Hezbollah: A short history", published in 2007 by Princeton University Press. Professor Norton's blog is linked on the right of this blog as recommended reading on this region. Norton was a military observer for the UN's mission in South Lebanon in the 1980's. His knowledge and description of Hezbollah and its history is very impressive. I found this book very well written and full of interesting information and anecdotes. This book also helps one to understand Hezbollah in relation to Israel and therefore very relevent in today's hightened tensions.

The Gaza Conflict - Day 13

On the 13th Day of the crisis in Gaza, Israel continues its assault. Since yesterday, 3 hours have been granted to allow a humanitarian corridor and a temporary cessation of hostilities. Analysts say that this short reprieve is only a way for Israel to buy more time to complete its operations in Gaza as well a public relations stunt to reduce internation pressure on Israel.

There are concerns here in Beirut, that the crisis could spread to Northern Israel on the border with Lebanon.

As reported in the above BBC article, today, Palestinian groups in South Lebanon fired 5 Katyusha rockets into Israel. Israel fired back in response. Hezbollah said it did not plan to start a new war with Israel, but it seems like today's event shows that Palestinian groups are the ones who could start a conflict. There is a heavy UN presence in South Lebanon after the cease-fire in 2006 between Hezbollah and Israel, but it seems as if they would not be able to stop an escalation if there is one. This also means that if it is the Palestinians who are causing trouble, they could be targeted in an Israeli retaliation. There are many Palestinian camps around Beirut and around the country. They are already suffering terrible living conditions as well as social and economic discrimination. Further deterioration of their living conditions will only plunger more into destitution.

Rashid Khalidi, a respected Palestinian scholar in the United States has published a brilliant Op-Ed in the New York Times: Click here. The NYT, with its overly Israeli supportive readership, has published this article in a rare moment of truth about the plight of Palestinians in Gaza.

Jimmy Carter also spoke out in an article in the Washington Post today: Click here. He recently visited the region under the auspices of his Carter Center, in attempt to spread peace in the Middle East. He gave a lecture at the American University of Beirut which M and I attended.

Robert Fisk wrote an opinion piece in The Independent yesterday which I also recommend reading: Click here. In reference to the bombing of the UN school earlier this week he writes: "What happened was not just shameful. It was a disgrace. Would war crime be too strong a description? For that is what we would call this atrocity if it had been committed by Hamas."

The Regional Implications of the Gaza Conflict

Overview of the Crisis

On 19 December 2008, an Egyptian brokered cease-fire between Hamas and Israel came to an end after 6 months of relative calm. Continued unmet demands from both sides, saw an escalation to open conflict, now in its 12th day. With over 550 Palestinian deaths and 1 Israeli soldier killed, the ensuing humanitarian crisis and potential regional implications are significant. The already dwindling public infrastructure has been further damaged and in some cases destroyed by Israeli bombardments and artillery shell, including UNRWA facilities and government buildings. International diplomatic efforts have been underway to bring about an immediate cease-fire. After a number of unsuccessful attempts by the Security Council to reach an agreement, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and French President Nicolas Sarkozy jointly proposed a plan on Tuesday 6 January which would bring together all the main parties and take all measures to end the conflict in Gaza. The plan envisages the resumption of the delivery of aid to Gaza and talks with Israel on border security.

The regional implications of this crisis are mainly political. Indeed, the humanitarian and economic crisis in Gaza, while it affects Gaza and its inhabitants tremendously, does not have much spill-over effects on its neighbours. Furthermore, due to the movement restrictions imposed on the Palestinians in Gaza, they are unable to flee the war and therefore this crisis has not created a large scale refugee problem that neighbouring states would have to cope with. The following describes other regional implications.

Regional Impact

Peace Process

Recent efforts to revive the peace process were made in 2007, when the Arab League renewed its commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative, presented in Beirut in 2002 by the Crown Prince King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. The initiative which includes a return to the 1967 borders and a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital was widely accepted by Arab countries, including the Palestinian Authority as well as support from Israel. The PA recently published the details of this peace plan in Israeli print media, in an effort of rapprochement to inform the Israeli population. Parellel initiatives were pushed by the United States last year, namely the Annapolis process which lead to a Conference in November 2007, aiming to produce a substantive document on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict along the lines of President George W. Bush's Roadmap For Peace, with the eventual establishment of a Palestinian state.

The current crisis in Gaza will have dire consequences on the ongoing peace process, as previous confidence building efforts between the Palestinian Authority and Israel on one side, and third party brokered cease-fires between Hamas and Israel on the other side, would have been in vein. This crisis will also create a potential for further radicalization of certain groups within Palestinian society, leading to increased risk of continued violence and conflict. The marginalization of some key Arab countries such as Egypt and Syria, as a result of their response for some and silence for others during this crisis, will also further burden any future efforts for renewed peace talks. On the other hand, the recent joint efforts made by Arab States at the Security Council on pushing for a cease-fire, shows a potential for unified efforts and support for peace.

The crisis will also have negative consequences on internal reconciliation efforts between various factions within Palestinian society. The failure to convene the Palestinian Reconciliation Dialogue in Cairo last November, already demonstrated its fragile grounds. Since Hamas’ election in 2005, the group has been in a power struggle with the Fateh party, led by Mahmoud Abbass. In July 2007, Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip, ousting Fateh, which currently controls the West Bank. Following the take over of power in the Strip, continuing internal fighting between various Palestinian factions had intensified. The current crisis however has resulted in increasing Palestinian support for Hamas.

Neighbouring states

Egypt

In 2005, after the Israeli disengagement of Gaza, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority were responsible for controlling the Rafah Crossing in the presence of EU monitors, following an agreement on Movement and Access with Israel. As a result of the abduction of IDF soldier, Gilat Shalit in 2006 and continued military aggression from both Israel and Hamas, Rafah, as all other crossings into Gaza were restricted and under the control of the Israeli authorities.
Egypt’s position first as an ally of Israel and second as a country with a border with the Gaza Strip, has faced difficult times, especially more recently with the conflict that has erupted in Gaza. Egypt’s initial decision to deny access to its country to fleeing Palestinians has been criticized by most of the Arab world. Egypt’s current responsibility for the movement of Palestinians, its obligation to deal directly with Hamas to solve the border crisis while it continues to maintain ties with the West and with Israel, has created an environment of uncertainty and instability. On the other hand, its direct links to Hamas, does provide a third party mediator between the warring parties.

Lebanon

The conflict between Hezbollah and Israeli forces which took place in the summer of 2006 is a reminder that continued tensions exist between two well-armed foes. Hezbollah’s leader has recently spoken out against Israel’s actions in Gaza, as has most Lebanese political leaders. More recently, Israel’s Prime Minister has confirmed that its forces are ready in the North for any possible retaliation from Hezbollah. Speculation as to ties which exist between Hezbollah and Hamas, especially in terms of arms supply and training, has increased further these tensions. Lebanon, which is recovering from a tense previous 2 years, is not in the position to suffer from further instability, if an escalation were to take place between Israel and Hezbollah.

Humanitarian and Economic

Gaza has been subject to a blockage for already 18 months prior to the beginning of the current crisis, crippling its economy to a state of almost entire dependency on humanitarian and external aid. The effect of the ongoing bombardments and land operations on its infrastructure, water supply systems and basic utilities, will be unprecedented once a damage evaluation is undertaken when a cease-fire is put in place. This region is already burdened by crises of even higher proportions such as the ongoing displacement situation as a result of the Iraq war, the continuous inflow of refugees into Egypt mainly from Sudan, but increasingly from Iraq as well, the Palestinian issue in Lebanon which resulted in the destruction of a refugee camp last year in the North, the recent conflict in Yemen and ongoing tensions between Syria, Iran and Israel. In addition to these crises, the global economic crisis has also affected the countries in this region with high inflation rates and drastic decreases in oil revenues. Therefore, in these difficult times, enhanced regional cooperation cannot be overemphasized. It is the regional nature of this conflict that should be taken into consideration when Arab states decide to take action. Furthermore, the financial crisis will also result in western donor governments’ aid fatigue and therefore will require increased support from Arab states to assist in the recovery of Gaza in the short term and the economic development of the Strip in the longer term. This crisis is an opportunity for the Arab world to demonstrate its capacity to unify and work together on this important issue.

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