A
taboo has been broken. Israel has pulled its settlers out of Gaza. Many,
on the right and left, did not believe it would happen. But does this
signify an end to occupation there? And does it mean that the situation of
the Palestinians will improve? Our editorial answers in the negative. With
1.3 million people mewed up in the world’s biggest prison, cut off from
the West Bank – cut off too from jobs and markets in Israel – we forecast
Hurricane Gaza.
In
the heat of August, the world saw scenes of heartbreak as Jewish settlers
were Disengaged. The
media hype did not pause to recall another Disaster, 57
years old, whose victims did not get an average of $450,000 per family,
and whose descendants still sat in squalid camps while the Six-Day
Tearjerker took place a few hundred yards away. The disengagement did,
however, have this positive effect:
The Myth of Settler
Invincibility has been Deflated.
Not
so in Jerusalem, though, where a Dark Cloud of massive house
demolition hangs over the Arab neighborhood of Silwan.
This
Challenge also takes on the government’s attempt to apply the
Wisconsin Plan in Israel. In an economy that cannot create jobs, the
plan already shows signs of accomplishing little but to Punish the Poor.
More
upbeat news comes in smaller packages. The Arab Artists in Israel
have understood that they cannot wait around for government favors. They
are moving back to their villages, bringing their art to public
consciousness with grass-roots action. And the Baqa Centers have held
their annual Summer Camp, where the children had fun experiencing
History from a Worker’s Point of View. n
We apologize for the lateness of this issue, which is
due to a change in our office location. Challenge may now be
reached at P.O.B. 35252, Tel Aviv 61351, Israel (visiting address: Rehov
Ha-Aliyah 43, Second Floor). The new phone number is 972-3-537-3268. Fax:
972-3-537-3269.
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