Hamas and Egypt appear to improve relations after meeting

After a series of meetings between Hamas and senior Egyptian officials in Cairo relations between Egypt and the Islamist Palestinian group appear to be improving.

The improved relations may have important implications for Gaza and Palestinian politics. Ismail Haniyeh who recently became leader of Hamas said in a speech in Gaza on Wednesday that relations with Egypt which borders the strip to the south have been warming:"We have launched a new chapter with Egypt and the relations have witnessed a big move."

For most of the last ten years Egypt has supported Israel in enforcing a blockade of the strip by land, sea, and air. Hamas seized the Gaza strip in 2007 and has controlled it ever since. Just recently Israel has made the situation in Gaza even worse cutting off electricity to Gaza leaving it with only about four hours a day with power. The cuts hit hospitals and water treatment plants during a heat wave causing hardships for Gaza's two million people. Sanctions against Gaza are part of an attempt by the rival Fatah Palestinians to force Hamas to give up power and join a unified government.

In order to keep popular support Hamas is attempting to mend its relations with Egypt. Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood regarded as a terrorist group in Egypt and so trying to improve ties with Egypt is an uphill battle. Nevertheless, Yahya Sinwar, Hamas's newly appointed leader in Gaza met Egyptian officials including the chief of intelligence last month.

These meetings are thought to have been arranged by Mohammed Dahlan, who was a senior Fatah official originally from Gaza but now a staunch opponent of Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Authority President and leader of Fatah. Haniyeh claimed that Egypt had been helping to improve conditions in Gaza and has alleviated some of the hardships caused by the Israeli blockade. Haniyeh said: "We have found complete readiness by Egypt and their authorities have issued orders to implement a package of measures that has began with allowing fuel into Gaza." Haniyeh also thanked both Qatar and Saudi Arabia for financial support.

Dahlan spends much of his time in the UAE and has close relations to Egypt. He is emerging as a power broker in the region. Analysts claim that the developing ties between Hamas and Egypt are a challenge to the power of Abbas. The development may cause alarm in Israel and even the US and the EU all of whom regard Hamas as a terrorist group and do not want its influence to increase in the region.

Hamas has helped Egypt address security concerns by clearing land on its side of the border that created a buffer zone that has watchtowers, cameras, and barbed-wire fences. Gaza Tawfiq Naeen the head of security services in Gaza appointed by Hamas said: "These measures serve as a message of assurance to the Egyptian side." Hamas would like to see the one crossing into Egypt at Rafah kept open longer and to increase energy supplies and other imports.

Egypt would like to obtain intelligence on radicals who are entering and leaving Gaza and also help with tracking Islamic State (IS) militants who are attacking Egyptian troops in northern Sinai. In a sign that Abbas, now 82,, worries about these developments he is scheduled to meet with Egyptian president el-Sisi this week. According to Akram Attallah, an independent analyst in Gaza this is the first cooperation between Hamas and Egypt since Hamas was founded 30 years ago.

Dahlan has been active in fostering the new relationship of Hamas with Egypt. Abbas expelled Dahlan from Fatah back in 2012. Attallah said: "Dahlan employed this moment to present himself as the most efficient party in the Palestinian arena and a savior for Hamas." Analysts are watching to see what will happen to Hamas' relations with Qatar that in the last few years has spent more than $500 million improving infrastructure and health services in Gaza. It is possible that Egypt may demand breaking off relations with Qatar as a condition of improving relations with it.

In his speech, Haniyeh did not depart from the strident critical tone of his predecessor, Khaled Mashalal towards Israel. He railed against "Israeli violations" in Jerusalem and promised to free Palestinians in Israeli jails. He said not one inch of Palestinian land should be relinquished:“We will remain faithful to the principles of the Palestinian people, and at the forefront is the liberation of the land, of Jerusalem, of the al-Aqsa Mosque, the prisoners, the realization of the Palestinian right of return, and the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.” Haniyeh had nothing positive to say about Donald Trump: “We believe that the most dangerous thing official Palestinian policy suffers from is responding to and dealing with repeated American dictates.. since the arrival of the American president to power, with the pressure and encouragement of the Zionist enemy, Trump has been trying to “eliminate the Palestinian issue” by “blackmailing” Arab-Islamic powers “and imposing a so-called historic reconciliation.” Not surprisingly, Haniyeh also gave thanks to and praised its backers including Iran, Turkey and Qatar. However, he also emphasized his thanks to Egypt.

Egypt has been sending millions of liters of diesel fuel to Gaza to keep the Strip's only power plant can begin operation again after months of being shut down. Israel cut off power to Gaza after Abbas' Palestinian Authority stopped covering 35 percent of the cost of the Israeli-supplied electricity. There are reports that Dahlan and Hamas have agreed to a new "management committee" in Gaza which would see Dahlan share control in the enclave. However Haniyeh still spoke of reconciliation between Fatah in Ramallah and Gaza claiming that such reconciliation was one of the subjects of discussion with Egypt. Haniyeh said that Egypt was welcome to play a central role in such reconciliation. Haniyeh claimed: “Fatah won’t eliminate Hamas and Hamas won’t eliminate Fatah,” said Haniyeh, adding that together, with all the Palestinian factions united, “the occupier could be eliminated.”

Israeli herbicide spraying damages and destroys Gaza crops

Israel is spraying herbicide along the border with the Gaza strip for what Israeli army officials claim is for "security reasons."

On January 7, the spraying by a low-flying agricultural aircraft eradicated or damaged up to 162 hectares of crops along the fence area on the Israeli border. Anwar Assi, manager of the chemical laboratory at the Ministry of Agriculture, said :

"Herbicides are sprayed in high concentrations. Thus, they remain embedded in the soil, and then find their way to the water basin. This constitutes a real hazard for the population,"

The spraying is along a buffer or "no-go" zone unilaterally imposed by Israel. The zone represents an estimated 17 percent of the territory of the tiny Gaza Strip and a third of the agricultural area, passing through some of Gaza's most fertile soils. Last week, Yousef Shahin, who was having trouble as it was sustaining his farmland, had his water tank targeted by an Israeli raid. The tank supplied not only his own farm but others in an area east of Khan Younis. The tank and collection system cost he and his neighbours some $15,000. With no government support to rebuild Shahin said: "Without support, we can never reconstruct the system again. We don't have running water for irrigation; I think we lost this season..We had to jeopardize our lives daily growing these crops; now all our efforts are in vain,"Within the last few months at least 16 Palestinians who entered the buffer zone have been killed. Most have been protesters shot by Israeli snipers.

Wind has taken the herbicide spray beyond the buffer zone. There is a safety period that needs to be observed before planting again in an area that has been sprayed. The 2014 war caused over $500 million in damage to the Gazan agricultural sector; 14,000 hectares of crops were destroyed and many thousands more lost because farmers could not tend to the crops because of the fighting. The Israeli army has admitted that it carried out the recent spraying.

Just a few days ago, Israeli warplanes bombed Gaza's main agricultural experimental station causing an estimated $300,000 in damages as it destroyed the building, laboratories, vehicles and a large power generator.It was also bombed and completely destroyed during the 2014 Gaza war.

Israel places restrictions on the import of tractors and agricultural machinery. Adel Alallah, general director of the Agricultural Ministry said: "Domestic farmers face problems trying to replenish anything that goes out of service. What isn't banned is stalled at the crossings by Israel." When the irrigation system does work it is plagued by power outages.

Some argue that Israel has a deliberate policy of targeting Palestinian infrastructure to make Palestinian communities unsustainable. The targeting of water infrastructure is prohibited under Protocol I of the Geneva Convention of 1977.

Israel permanently bans Norwegian doctor from Gaza Strip

Israel has banned Norwegian doctor Mads Gilbert from entering Gaza permanently. Israeli authorities say the ban was imposed on Gilbert for security reasons.

Dr. Gilbert is an activist as well as a doctor. He has been working in the medical system of the Gaza Strip for decades. The 67-year-old activist has repeatedly condemned the actions of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza. During the latest round of fighting he worked in the Shifa Medical Center. When he was returning to Gaza in October, he was not allowed to cross into Gaza even though he had a visa with multiple entries as well as documents from the Israeli army.
 There has been no explanation of what the supposed security issue is that resulted in the ban. When Gilbert debated with the number two official at the Israeli embassy on TV in Oslo, the official said: “We cannot explain, we cannot detail that but we have got the information from our security authorities that there is a security issue.” Gilbert claims that the security claim is nonsense: I am a medical doctor. I have never done anything illegal. I’ve got a stethoscope, a pen, and a camera, and I document what I see. But I‘ve never been a security threat to Israel, of course. Gilbert thinks that Israel simply regards his reports on the situation during attacks in 2006, 2009, 2012, and 2014 as damaging to Israel's image simply by graphically illustrating the results of those attacks.
 Gilbert points out that during the last siege there were more than 2,100 Palestinians killed including 521 children and civilians being 70 to 80 per cent of the casualties. On the Israeli side there 71 killed of whom 66 were soldiers. Gilbert found out from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the ban on security grounds dated from the 28th of July and was permanent. That was the day Gilbert left Gaza during the bombing. His permit to enter was canceled. This was all done without notifying Gilbert and while he had the visa mentioned earlier that was valid until November 11.
 As indicated in the Wikipedia entry about Gilbert, he believes that doctors should not be neutral about the conflict situation within which they work. As well as his medical work in conflict zones, Gilbert has contributed to treatment of extreme hypothermia. Gilbert was able to save a Norwegian skier whose body temperature was 13.7 degrees C. the lowest body temperature ever survived.
 Naturally, Israeli authorities are not appreciative of Gilbert. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yigal Palmor responded to a report by Gilbert in Lancet as follows: "Dr. Gilbert is notorious for his radical far left opinions and his systematic demonizaton of Israel. He has already accused Israel of almost every nightmarish crime in the book only to ignore the refutation of every one of his allegations. His stories are worthy of Dante's imagination but have been proved time and again to be far removed from reality. It is a pity that serious members of the medical profession should allow themselves to be dragged into an excessive of mad Mads". Compared to that flowery outburst Gilbert's reply is a model of restraint:"This is a part of the propaganda war. We are not surprised and take this very calmly. We tell the truth and do not need to lie. If Israel think we are lying, they can just open the borders and let the world's press into Gaza. Then one will soon find out who is lying." Gilbert describes his religious orientation as a "practicing agnostic, with a recurring need for prayer".

Egypt displaces up to 10,000 and destroys homes to create buffer zone with Gaza Strip

In order to clear the area for a buffer zone along the border with Gaza, Egypt is already demolishing more than 680 homes and displacing up to 10,000 residents.

The government claims that the buffer zone will prevent weapons being smuggled from Gaza into the northern Sinai area where there has been constant conflict between armed militants and Egyptian forces. Many fear that the move will cause even more unrest resulting from the anger of residents at the move.
 On Tuesday Egyptian authorities simply ordered residents to evacuate so their homes could be destroyed to set up the zone. The move may have been in part a reaction to an attack by militants four days earlier on an army post in the area that killed at least 31 soldiers. Egypt declared a state of emergency and a dawn-to-dusk curfew. Egypt also closed the only crossing into Gaza from Egypt indefinitely. This will make relations with Gaza even worse.
 As part of the peace agreement control of the crossing was to be by the Palestinian Authority of Abbas rather than Hamas. Closing this key crossing the only non-Israeli exit from Gaza can only cause more tension between the Palestinians and Egypt. The buffer zone is to include trenches filled with water meant to deter the digging of tunnels. The zone is to be half a kilometer wide and extends for 13 kilometers (9 miles) along the border. Originally, the residents had been given just 48 hours to leave but after protests there has been some negotiations with officials to extend the deadline.
Egyptian security forces have been launching a bloody offensive in the northern Sinai area for three years. The media in Egypt blame Hamas' rulers for intervening in Egyptian affairs. Hamas opposed the overthrow of the former president who like Hamas is associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Some Egyptian media accuse Hamas of supporting militants fighting inside Egypt. The Egyptian reaction appears to be one of panic rather than well thought out. The demolitions will cause enormous resentment at Egyptian authorities just the type of environment militants need to operate within the area.
The demolition is taking place even in the crowded town of Rafah at the border crossing. Hammam Alagha tweeted: “Our house in Rafah is more than 60 years old,” she noted in a series of posts. When Alagha refused to vacate the house after being ordered to do so by an army officer, he told her it would be bombed the next day with everything that was in it. The move in the Sinai has been accompanied by a crackdown on university protests, and a recent presidential decree that puts public facilities such as power stations and roads under military protection. The decree also proclaims that anyone who commits crimes against public utilities will be prosecuted in military courts. This could allow even protesters arrested at demonstrations on public roads to be tried in military courts. Apparently, civilian courts that condemn hundreds to death at a time are not sufficiently harsh. This is precisely the type of action that helped precipitate the original uprising against Mubarak.
 Now as Gamal Eid who is head of the Arab Network for Human Rights in Cairo puts it: “Egypt is solidifying the rule of the police and the military,” Aaron Reese, deputy research director of the Institute for the Study of War based in Washington DC said that the clearing out of the border town of Rafah fit the pattern of Egyptian security forces who used overwhelming power and expediency to confront militancy in the area: “The Egyptian Army is not interested in pursuing urban warfare. Instead, they respond to militant attacks using tanks and helicopter gunships, against targets in the Sinai where it is quite difficult to identify individual militants blended into the local population. It’s going to wind up being counterproductive in the long term. You can’t bulldoze an area, home by home, and persuade people to work with you.” Increased conflict in the area, however, can be used to justify even further crackdowns on any sort of protest anywhere in Egypt.

Israeli defense minister claims that Gaza could be invaded again.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that if the government found it necessary the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) could conquer and rule Gaza. He also praised the IDF for the 2008-9 invasion of Gaza.

Barak added that Israel should not invade the Gaza strip unless it had to but at the same time suggested that parts of the strip might be occupied. Barak was speaking at a meeting of the Fisher Institute. on Operation Cast Lead also known as the Gaza War.

At the same meeting, former IDF chief of staff Lt.-Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi said

"Strategic decisions must be taken into consideration in the dialogue between the political and military echelons before a war...the General Staff and its leadership must be there. They should be a central part of discourse."

There is already a "no go" strip along the border. Gazans are not allowed in the area. A considerable amount of farmland is rendered unusable as a result of the zone.

Between September 2005 and the end of 2010 a total of 177 Palestinians have been killed near the fence. Included in those killed were 24 minors and 2 women. At least 38 were civilians not involved in any hostilities. These figures do not include the time of the Gaza invasion.

Israeli officials deny this is a "no-go-zone" where anyone who enters can be fired upon. Yet at the same time in 2010 the army distributed leaflets in Gaza that warned residents that it was forbidden to go within 300 meters of the border fence. Any means including gunfire would be used against anyone who disobeyed the prohibition. Also, an IDF spokesperson said on 28 April 2010:

“The area next to the perimeter fence is a combat zone”

The zone is a danger to farmers and residents. The area is not posted as a special security area as it should be. On some occasions residents have been fired upon well beyond the 300 meter zone. The zone actually covers about 17 per cent of the total of the Gaza strip. The Gaza strip is densely populated and the land would be of great value to grow food for the residents.

The last invasion of Gaza(Operation Cast Lead) was during the final days of the Bush administration. Altogether 1,417 Gazans were killed during the war.