POLITICS
Strip Tease In Gaza, Armored Cars for UN Officials are Imperative, but Humanitarian Relief is Conditional
[by Carmen Maria Sanchez, Princeton University]
T
he former Personal Representative of the Secretary General for the Palestinian Authorities issued a failing grade to the United Nations as an objective facilitator in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In his end of mission report, Alvaro de Soto virulently condemned the United Nations for playing second fiddle at the negotiating table next to the United States and for implicating itself in the pursuit of a undemocratic roadmap for peace. Mr. de Soto composed his damning verdict in May 2007 after resigning
from his two-year post as UN special envoy in the disputed territories. He retired to New York City, where he resolved to write about his experience as a UN representative in Gaza. The devastation caused by the recent three-week conflict between Israel and Hamas has highlighted the gravity of humanitarian conditions in Gaza, a region quickly becoming one of the poorest in the world. Director of the United Nations Works and Reliefs Agency (UNWRA), John Ging, called for the opening of crossings into Gaza, saying that the economic blockade by Israel, now over a year and a half old, was choking the entry of basic necessities such as food, medicine, blankets, and school supplies. Over 1300 Palestinians, mostly civilians, died as a result of Israeli attacks on Gaza, and the UN has anticipated more deaths in the post-conflict period if relief supplies do not arrive in time.
According to Mr. de Soto, the ability of the UN to protect the safety of the Palestinian people had been compromised long before the war that began in December 2008. “The best thing we could have done when Hamas was elected, given that they had a clear majority, was to engage them and work with them,” said Mr. de Soto in a phone interview. “Instead the people were punished.” Mr. de Soto recalled that in September 2005, faced with the approaching parliamentary elections, Mahmoud Abbas—current leader of the Palestinian Authority and head of the dominant Fatah party —had decided to pursue a strategy of inclusion. Following a series of skirmishes between government forces and Hamas militants, Mr. Abbas’ intention was to invite Hamas into the political system and legislate the group’s disarmament. Mr. de Soto recommended Mr. Abbas’ strategy to the United Nations, urging higher
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44 BUSINESS TODAY SPRING 2009