Economic sanctions will only make things worse in Palestine
Chelsea Moore Staff
A couple of months ago, 77.6 per cent of Palestinians partook in a parliamentary election, voting-in an independent political organization, Hamas. Some people are calling it a “clash of civilizations,” leaving others — like the United States and the European Union, shocked and confused about what to do next.
Labelled a “terrorist authority” by Israel’s acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Hamas now holds 74 of 132 seats in the Palestinian Parliament.
For 40 years, the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s Fatah faction led the people of Palestine, though not without corruption and economic chaos. In response to the social pandemonium that dominated the Gaza strip just months after Israel’s withdrawal from the region, Winnipeg Free Press columnist Samuel Segev stated that: “Palestinians are demonstrating everyday that they lack the political maturity needed for an independent state” — a typical Western response to the election of Hamas.
Gaza was a mess — one that the PLO was unable to clean up. It’s no wonder the Palestinians voted for Hamas, the political group that demonstrated discipline and ran charities and social programs in the war-torn region.
According to Palestinians, their vote in this past election represented the demand for domestic change and an end to political fraud and incompetence on the part of Fatah. However, Hamas does not recognize the state of Israel. Likewise, Israel, the U.S. and the EU refuse to accept the legitimacy of Hamas. It looks as though the peace process has hit a brick wall yet again.
As if matters couldn’t get any worse, millions of dollars in taxes paid by Palestinians and collected by Israel will not be transferred back to the people this month, and each month thereafter it will be up for review. Also, Washington withdrew $50 million in aid to Palestine in what was labelled a “financial crisis” by the PLO leader and president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. Western governments often fail to take into consideration that economic sanctions are counter productive, as they hit ordinary people disproportionately hard.
The U.S. and Israel deny claims made by the Washington Post that they are attempting to squeeze Palestine economically so as to get the democratically elected government out of office. However, even if this isn’t their end goal, with hundreds of millions of dollars of foreign aid being cut, either 140 thousand government jobs will be lost (the government being the largest employer in Palestine), or Hamas will receive funding from other Muslim countries — Iran being an example. The prospect of Iranian aid being funnelled into Palestine should cause some concern in Washington.
The ceasefire truce made by Hamas and Israel is likely to be up in the air. After all, why would any group, terrorist or not, seek peaceful arrangements with another actor who is blatantly depriving it of its rights — the denial of democratic expression and public Palestinian funds?
Many Israelis also disapprove of the approach taken by their government. On January 27, 48 per cent of them revealed to a pollster that they want their leaders to start talking with Hamas.
This is not surprising, considering how high the stakes are. Ticking off an alleged terrorist group that pledges to destroy your country might not prove to be the best way to get them to engage in a mutual peace process.
But then again, like any religious or political affiliation, there are extremists and there are moderates. Within Hamas, there are militant radicals who have taken part in vicious suicide attacks against Israel. But there are also grassroots activists who help the people of Palestine by supporting various charities and building schools and hospitals.
Fortunately for everyone, the chosen leader of Hamas is Ismail Haniyeh, a well-known pragmatist. After Israel’s decision to halt tax-collected transfer payments to the Palestinian Authority, he stated that it “does not scare the Palestinian people,” adding that his government will nonetheless “avoid a confrontation.”
But the question is, how long can the people of Palestine hold out when their fragile political and social structures are deteriorating? How much longer will humanitarian aid be cut from their reach?
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Syria, among other Arab states, have all rejected a plea by the U.S. to stop transferring funds to Palestine due to concerns for the people. And on February 22, a top Iran official pledged their financial support.
Given the base of support Hamas has in the East and the unclear status of a ceasefire, one cannot deny that the possibility of further conflict is real. However, the extent to which the polarization of this issue will cause an even greater international political mess is what needs to be addressed.
Chelsea Moore is a second-year global political economy student and a news reporter for the Manitoban.
