worker explains Israel's earthquake early warning system, which triggers sirens nationwide

The Palestinians Are Not Prepared For The Next Big Earthquake, Here Is Why

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Emanuel Engelmayer
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Anyone who knows geography, geology, and the causes of earthquakes would certainly know that Israel sits directly on top of a crucial meeting point of the African continental tectonic plate with its rifting piece known as the Arabian plate, which is extremely prone to earthquakes. Virtually every year minor earthquakes are reported by the Israeli authorities and every century or so a major earthquake will strike the region. Due to these conditions, Israel has implemented a unique way of building that ensures the majority of structures can withstand the most moderate to severe earthquakes. 

However, in yet another example of the lack of governance, the Palestinian Authority has no enforced laws for construction. Based on all historic records at the rate they are currently at, it will not be Israel who will destroy the foundation for the Palestinian state but God, mother nature, or any other way people like to define natural disasters.

Anyone who would take a car ride through any PA-governed village within will notice quite easily just how disorganized and often visibly structurally unsound many of the buildings and structures are. It is often common to see structures built using cinder blocks with a corrugated aluminum roof on top in something resembling a third-world shanty town where any material that can be found will be used to build a structure.

That is due to the willy-nilly way in which villages and cities are designed, with each family or clan personally constructing their own properties with no government supervision whatsoever. Much of this stems from the nomadic nature of Palestinians, most of whom are of Bedouin descent. It is not that the Arab population necessarily loves the current style of construction, but simply there is no guidance from the Palestinian Authority on what would be appropriate in regard to the many hazardous natural events that take place in the region; this can be proven through the significant difference seen between Arab towns under Israel’s sovereign control while comparing to the ones under the PA's control.   

Admittedly, Israel has not always been perfect at building safety protocols and only picked up the glove in the early 80s with new regulations which forbade certain methods due to the many possible dangers to human life. On top of changing policy, the Israeli government has also become invested in repairing older buildings that do not meet the current requirements. According to the Home Front Command, a civilian-centered branch dealing with, among other things, structural security “The state allows homeowners to strengthen their homes by providing economic incentives, for example through the national outline plan for strengthening existing buildings against earthquakes  ‘TAMA 38’, which provides incentives for strengthening existing buildings through additional construction, or through the demolition of the building and building a new one in its place.”

One of the latest disastrous earthquakes to occur in the Southern Levant was back in the 19th century, known as the “Galilee Earthquake of 1837”. On the very first day of January, a chain of earthquakes struck the region, damaging everything from Beirut all the way down to Tiberias. The city of Safed which was built in the form of terraces, with the roofs of houses on one level being used as streets of the upper levels, literally collapsed into itself; thousands were killed and injured along with the tremendous damage to property that cannot be measured exactly due to its severity. 

After the devastating earthquake in Turkey back in 2020, Dr. Amos Solomon, a leading figure in Israeli geology studies spoke with Yedioth Ahronoth regarding a future significant earthquake in Israel. In the interview, Solomon said: "We know for sure that it is coming, but the timing is a problem that is very difficult to deal with. We do know approximately the main reason, which is being along the Syrian-African divide. We are making every effort not to reach these levels of destruction [seen in Turkey] and we are constantly trying by all kinds of means to improve the response and reduce the danger and if God forbid it happens - not to reach these levels of damage."

If a major earthquake were to occur today, the severity of damage would be devastating to Palestinian towns. It is not simply makeshift structures that would collapse, the risk of a high-rise toppling is real, and that would create a humanitarian crisis of biblical proportions.

How long will it take before the Palestinian Authority takes this issue seriously? The answer, unfortunately, is probably never. The leaders of the Palestinian Authority are all heavily invested in cashing in the checks given to them from all over the globe and any policy that would involve allocating those funds for the safety of the actual residents living within the PA territories is simply unthinkable.

As it stands much of the road infrastructure is not developed, many roads in Palestine are still made of dirt. If not for the network of roads and highways that Israel has created, which are open and used by Palestinians, going from Jenin in northern Samaria to Ramallah on the Judean border would be a treacherous, if not impossible journey. It is not that they do not have the money to build roads and streets in Palestine, it is simply that the money which the UN, the EU, or the US sent to them for infrastructure never makes it to its target destination.

The corruption of the Palestinian Authority, ruled by the PLO, is so deep that no connection actually exists anymore between Palestinian nationalism and the Palestinian people. One thing though is for sure, when the next great earthquake strikes and thousands die, the world will somehow find a way to blame Israel.

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