On
Gaza Drivers, Rumours and Egypt's Steel Wall
5 January 2010By Ramzy Baroud
Those pesky taxi drivers of Gaza are always
circulating rumours. One story that made the rounds
during the first Palestinian uprising in 1987 claimed
that an Arab army crossed the Sinai desert to save
Palestinians from the daily killings and protracted
state of siege which caused untold suffering for
civilians.
The army in question would change from time to time,
but the focus inevitably returned to Egypt. The rumour
of an Egyptian military intervention persevered
through the years, and it registered deeply in
Palestinian psyche, especially among those living in
Gaza.
My father, as many in his generation, fought in the
Egyptian army and the Palestinian Liberation Army.
Following defeat in the war of 1967, he was hauled
along wounded and dead Egyptian soldiers across Sinai,
as well as on a floating army bridge over the Suez
Canal under intense Israeli aerial bombardment. As a
child, I once accompanied him on a journey to an
impoverished neighborhood in Cairo to look for an
Egyptian war buddy of his. When we found out that he
was long dead, my father wept. Confused and scared
among the ailing buildings, I too cried. Indeed, the
bond between Egyptians and Palestinians is historical,
everlasting, cemented in blood, sweat and tears.
Yes, everlasting, despite the responses of the
Egyptian government to the more recent suffering of
Palestinians in Gaza.
When the Palestinian people democratically elected
Hamas to lead the Palestinian legislature in 2006,
they were aware of the possible repercussions. They
have become accustomed to the ‘collective punishment’
employed every time actions fail to meet Israeli
expectations. They also understand well the influence
of the pro-Israel lobby on American foreign policy,
and know of Cairo’s commitment to political
‘moderation’ and unabashed tiptoeing to the US. But
never, in their wildest imagination did Palestinians
foresee the measures that Egypt would take to stifle
their democratic decision, suppress their resistance
and cut off the very lifelines that keep Gaza
breathing.
Israel has employed every possible trick in its book
to weaken Gaza’s resolve; yet time after time, it has
failed miserably. Even after turning the already
starving Gaza Strip into a large and inescapable
killing field on December 27, 2008, Gaza is yet to
surrender. Three weeks of ceaseless bombardment killed
over 1,400 Palestinians and wounded over 5,500 more,
but it was no match to Gaza’s resolve.
Indeed, Gazans have always devised ways to survive
against the odds. With difficulty, they dug tunnels to
Egypt, and through these tunnels, basic necessities,
such as food, medicine, toys, and some livestock were
able to trickle into Gaza. On February 4, 2009,
shortly after Israel declared an end to its one-sided
military operations, military experts from various,
mostly Western countries gathered in a two-day
conference hosted by Denmark.
The goal was to halt arms smuggling into Gaza, and
not, as should have been the case, to investigate
Israel’s illegal use of lethal weapons against an
unarmed population. Nor was it to call on various
countries to halt their weapon exports to Israel.
The response was a moral travesty, to say the least.
However, the news regarding this subject ceased for a
while, interrupted by an occasional Israeli strike at
alleged tunnels, or an Egyptian measure to ensure the
closure of all tunnels at its side of the border.
Meanwhile, the siege continued unabated, and Egypt
held tight to its ‘commitment’ to ensure its success.
More recently, news of an enormous metal wall that
Egypt erected at its border with Gaza has come to the
fore. The Egyptian decision is both politically and
financially loaded. Considering that the US – spurred
on by Israel – has strived to develop ways to
completely choke Gaza, one can safely conclude that
the decision has not come solely from Egypt, though as
a sovereign country the latter must still be held
fully accountable. According to Press TV, Karen Abu
Zaid, United Nations Relief and Works Agency
Commissioner-General described the wall as more
dangerous than the Bar Lev Line, which was built by
Israel along the eastern coast of the Suez Canal
following the capturing of the Sinai Peninsula from
Egypt in 1967. The Egyptian wall is arguably more
dangerous because it will increase the suffering of an
already tormented civilian population.
But more than dangerous, it is also disheartening.
Palestinians, including some in the Hamas government
never cease to refer to Egypt and Egyptians as “Sister
Egypt” and “Egyptian brethren”. Why then are Sister
Egypt and the Egyptian brethren taking part in this
injustice and allowing Israeli violence to perpetuate?
Money? Political validation? Attempts at regional
relevance and fear of dismissal if they dare defy
Washington’s will?
None of these reasons are convincing. The ties between
Egypt and Palestine are too rooted in history; the
rapport is too personal, too familial to allow for
material or temporary political interests to stand in
the way between two ancient peoples with awe-inspiring
histories. Now I fully appreciate why my father wept
at the death of his Egyptian friend. And I believe
that no steel wall is large or thick enough to
undermine that moment; no government policies or
self-seeking officials are wicked enough to dent the
bond that link the peoples of Palestine and Egypt. I
also believe that there should be no amount of money
large enough to justify the imprisonment of a whole
nation, especially one’s own “brethren.”
I wonder what is the latest rumour circulated these
days by Gaza’s taxi drivers. A million Egyptians storm
the border with Gaza, carrying food, medicine and
toys? Strangely enough, I would still believe it.
Those pesky drivers of Gaza!
(Learn more about Ramzy Baroud's latest book: My
Father Was A Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story.
Click here.)
- Ramzy Baroud (www.ramzybaroud.net) is an
internationally-syndicated columnist and the editor of
PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is "My Father
Was a Freedom Fighter: Gaza's Untold Story" (Pluto
Press, London), now available on Amazon.com.
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