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| Middle East |
| Fencing Gaza |
| 2002-05-03 |
| An 11-kilometer electronic fence is slowly going up, putting the northern Gaza Strip firmly under Israeli control as it protects the settlements of Dugit, Alei Sinai, and Nisanit. But it won’t be completed until at least December, and in the meantime, Palestinian terrorists are waging a persistent effort to infiltrate into the Israeli homes in what has become an almost nightly ritual. So far, they haven’t succeeded. Even with the fence up, they'll still keep trying to climb it or bomb it. The Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are, according to the army, in increasing economic and ideological distress, and have a growing sense of frustration and fear of an IDF incursion. Over 80 percent of the 1.3 million Gazan Palestinians live under the poverty level and their per-capita income has returned to the level it was in 1968, about $400 a year. The other 20% are in the entourages of PA Mr Bigs or on the Hamas dole. The Erez industrial zone has become the main source of income for most Gazans. The 3,500 workers in the 82 factories there provide about 35%-40% of the Gaza Strip’s income. Palestinian rejectionists have targeted it in an attempt to create greater hardship for Palestinians which they can blame on Israel. Last month, a gunman sneaked into the terminal and opened fire, killing a border policeman and a Arab laborer before being shot dead. Last week, Palestinians fired a mortar shell at the site. So move the factories, fire the Palestinians, and hire Turks or Chinese. Or Israelis. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |