Author Archives: Gisha

We don't need Wikileaks to know what the closure is

Posted on January 6, 2011

It doesn’t take a Wikileaked cable to tell us that Israel’s policy towards Gaza has been one of economic warfare for the past several years, but yesterday’s article in Haaretz spelled it out again for anyone who hasn’t been paying attention. The article quotes a cable written by officials at the US… Continue reading →

Posted in econmic development, Movement of goods out of Gaza | 6 Comments

Lately there ain't been much work on account of the economy

Posted on December 28, 2010

Recently, it has been suggested that Gaza’s economy shows signs of recovery. Yet, a closer look at the reality behind the numbers reveals a picture of limited economic activity, mostly fueled by external aid… Continue reading →

Posted in econmic development, Infrastructure, Movement of goods out of Gaza | 2 Comments

Gaza's Social Network

Posted on December 19, 2010

“People outside expect us all to be wrapped in keffiyehs … and to be stalwarts of the Palestinian cause every second of every day, and we feel we don’t want to disappoint them but we are human beings and sometimes we just want to blog about what’s on our mind… Continue reading →

Posted in General | Leave a comment

Strawberry Fields Forever

Posted on December 2, 2010

This week the Israeli Ministry of Defense announced the “beginning of the export season” in the Gaza Strip. “The export season” entails the continuation of a short-term program, sponsored – from planting through to distribution – by the Dutch government. The program allows a few farmers in Gaza to sell strawberries and flowers in European markets. So far this week, 7 trucks have left the Strip. As has been the case in every year since June 2007… Continue reading →

Posted in Movement of goods out of Gaza | 7 Comments

If they haven’t bread, let them eat gravel

Posted on November 18, 2010

The eve of Eid al-Adha celebrated this week brought news of a shortage of flour in the Gaza Strip. For the past two weeks, traders and flour mill owners have warned of shortages of wheat in the Strip, claiming that the mills have been providing about half of their production capacity… Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Movement of goods into Gaza | 3 Comments

Who Controls the Palestinian Population Registry?

Posted on November 11, 2010

When the Palestinian Supreme Court in Ramallah issued a new ruling on 22.10.2010, commentators were quick to declare a breakthrough for the 35,000 Palestinian residents who live in the West Bank but whose registered addresses are in Gaza and who therefore live under the threat of deportation. The ruling ordered the Palestinian Interior Ministry to carry out all the necessary procedures to change these residents’ addresses from the Gaza Strip to the… Continue reading →

Posted in Adress updates | 1 Comment

The race for freedom of movement

Posted on October 27, 2010

Tomorrow, I will run a 160 km (100 mile) “ultra-marathon”, the first 100 mile race to be held in Israel. For the people I meet through my work at Gisha, fulfilling the desire for freedom is also not an easy task. For them, the obstacles are not the limits of oxygen delivery or lactic acid threshold, but rather the obstacles stemming from our reality in this region of the world – a reality of restrictions on the ability to travel, with passage between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank almost completely blocked. Continue reading →

Posted in Students from Gaza to the West Bank | Leave a comment

The ban on student travel between Gaza and the West Bank: Fatma Sharif's story

Posted on October 18, 2010

As the new academic year begins, meet Ms. Sharif, a lawyer from the Gaza Strip who wanted to reach her studies in democracy and human rights in the West Bank but was unable to do so. Continue reading →

Posted in General | 1 Comment

Facts Behind MFA Report on "Easing" of Gaza Closure

Posted on September 21, 2010

In advance of today’s meeting of the Ad-hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) for assistance to the Palestinians, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) released a report detailing steps taken to improve Gaza’s economy pursuant to a June 20, 2010 Israeli Cabinet decision to “ease” the closure. The following is a summary of the main points of the MFA report and data which places the information in context. Continue reading →

Posted in General | 3 Comments

Children of the gravel

Posted on September 16, 2010

On Saturday, May 22, 2010, Hasan, 17, was shot in the leg in the now-defunct Erez industrial area in the northern Gaza Strip: “I was collecting gravel with the other workers, when one of the Israeli soldiers in the watchtower fired a shot which hit me in the right leg. I immediately fell to the ground in great pain. Everyone started running away, except for one youngster who I didn’t know, who came and tried to help me, but he couldn’t lift me”. In the meantime, the soldiers kept firing… Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure | Leave a comment