Israeli Community of Gush Katif In Gaza before Arabs destroyed it

Gaza Could Have Been The Jewel Of The Mediterranean, So What Happened?

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Emanuel Engelmayer
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Gaza was arguably the prettiest part of Israel before 2005. The Mediterranean sea is met by gorgeous yellow sands and year-round decent weather, not many places exist like it on earth. As the meeting point between the Sinai desert and the Gush Dan region of Israel, it would have made the perfect destination for Europeans in need of a break from the bitter cold. 

Israeli residents prior to September of 2005 did an amazing job of cultivating the land and creating gorgeous green farming lands on top of sands that were thought to not be capable of any growth. Today, 17 years after Israel unilaterally vacated the strip in an effort to bring peace, and 16 years into Hamas’s bloody coup against the Palestinian Authority, even fierce Palestinian activists could not argue that the former land of the ancient sea-faring Philistines is still magical. So what happened to Gaza?

From an ancient historical point of view, Gaza has been inhabited for over 3000 years, by a vast amount of different peoples. It was the gateway for Egyptian travelers when entering the land of Israel with ever-changing rulers. Based on excavations done by the British in the 1930s on a site called Tall-El-Ajjul just south of Gaza city, the land was even occasionally ruled by Egyptian dynasties such as the Hyksos. The sea-raiding Philistines mentioned in the Bible as being enemies of Israel and the inspiration for the Roman Emporer Hadrian's Judea name change, ruled the land of Gaza and its surroundings until kicked out by the Neo-Assyrians. 

In 1948, with the formation of Israel, Egyptian forces took over Gaza and used the land as their headquarters for military operations against the Jews throughout the Israeli war of independence.  Egypt ruled the people and land of Gaza from 1948-1967 with a short break in 56’-57’ due to the Israeli takeover as part of the Suez conflict.  As rulers of a land largely inhabited by “Palestinian refugees”, Egypt virtually did nothing to help the locals get out of the endless poverty cycle. Gaza residents were not recognized as Egyptian citizens and were not allowed to enter Egypt. 

With the Israeli takeover of Gaza after the Egyptian retreat and ultimate defeat in the Six-Day War, local residents of the Gaza strip began showing signs of livelihood. They were given freedom of movement and work permits as long as they did not harm the residents and infrastructure of the Jewish state. In fact, some in Gaza recall that the area was mostly free under Israeli control however there was animosity from many who felt Jews were taking over. After 1967, Israel permitted Jewish settlers to develop villages in the Gaza strip with the purpose of advancing agriculture as had been done successfully across Israel. Gaza, a literal desert community on the sea had no viable crops other than palm dates, this was soon to change and some of the best fruits and vegetables were about to be grown where none had grown before.

A small airport was built but once Hamas took over in 2007, they destroyed it, and the Gaza port, normally supervised by the Israeli government was blockaded by Israel to ensure no weapons of mass destruction were being transferred. Gaza had the potential of becoming a massive cultural and tourist hub, not only for the benefit of Israelis but for local Arabs who were predominantly traders.  The prospect of building hotels, creating archaeological attractions, and sporting some of the most beautiful beaches on the Mediterranean, would have helped Gazans realize their dreams. Add in an agricultural phenomenon, filled with greenhouses that exported some of the best vegetables to Europe, and Gaza had the potential to be its own economic powerhouse.

As the first Intifada began and the rise of violent Palestinian nationalism took place egged on by Yasser Arafat, an Egyptian who was born long before the State of Israel was declared, Gaza and its surrounding Arab villages became increasingly hostile toward the state of Israel. This hostility led Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1993 to allow the Palestinian Authority to gradually take control of Gaza, as part of the Oslo Accords. In 2003, as part of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s plan to de-escalate the violence of the Second Intifada, he proposed a plan in which IDF soldiers and Israeli settlements would completely evacuate the entirety of the Gaza strip.

Sharon’s plan was extremely controversial with right-wing activists predicting the bloody future of Gaza if Israel were to abandon it. Nevertheless, Sharon’s plan was approved and in September 2005 the last Israeli settlements were evacuated. In 2006, as part of elections conducted by the Palestinian Authority, Hamas won in a landslide and led a violent takeover of Gaza. According to poll watchers, Hamas' victory was based on a combination of actual support by locals who benefitted from Hamas' social programs coupled with the use of militant fear on those who planned on voting for Fatah or not to vote at all. 

With the final evacuation of all Jews from Gaza, Hamas-led terrorism led to the destruction of all Israeli infrastructure within the strip. All technologically advanced agricultural sites were destroyed, along with all Jewish permanent housing. The Hamas-led Gazans literally threw away the baby with the bathwater, and with it nearly two decades of built-up infrastructure that could have fed millions.

Ever since, Gaza has been cut off from the entire world, with Israel still supplying electricity, port access, and all other basic services and goods so long as Hamas doesn’t fire rockets targeting innocent civilians. A fair deal. Despite being a recognized terrorist organization, Hamas has received billions of dollars both from Israel and others like UNRWA, Qatar, and the EU. 

From 2014 to 2021, Hamas ruled Gaza has received over $4.5 billion in the form of humanitarian aid. These billions are on top of the millions collected in taxes each month by Hamas. 

With all that money, Hamas could have built luxurious coastline hotels and a world-class marina that would attract tourists from all over. Hamas could have developed a thriving sustainable agriculture industry, using the already existing Israeli farms left behind. A bit far-fetched, but Hamas could have drilled on the borders of its maritime territories and discovered natural gas to be traded for billions on a global scale. Hamas-ruled Gaza could have done it all. However, considering all the above were proposed and even planned by Israel, Hamas scrapped them all so as to literally sever all ties with the Jewish State.

Gaza was once a beautiful strip of land with the potential of becoming the pearl of the Eastern Mediterranean, just to be destroyed by the corrupt PA and terrorist organization Hamas.

For those who demand Israel lift its sanctions on Gaza and go by the slogan “Free Gaza”, I completely agree! The people of Gaza must be freed from Hamas and finally given the chance to lead a rich life, just like the lands they inhabit.

 

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