President Trump’s so-called peace plan, widely criticized for its vagueness and failure to include Palestinians, was adopted by the United Nations after Mike Waltz warned that any vote against it would mean a “return to war.” Proposing international supervision, it entrenches US-Israeli control of the Gaza Strip, where the daily killings continue, albeit in reduced numbers, and aid is denied entry, including essential medicines, tents, blankets, and heaters, as well as food. With the population facing a famine, complaints have been voiced that the delivered food items consist of chocolates and chips, while the available stockpiles of nutritious food have been denied entry and go to waste nearby. Torrential winter rains have flooded the tents that house Gazans amid the tons of rubble that remain of their former homes, and parents are unable to keep their children dry or warm. In the enclave that previously was known as the most densely populated area on earth, 2 million people have to live in less than 50 percent of what they once inhabited, as Israel retains the area beyond the newly established yellow line under its control, killing any civilian who tries to enter and retrieve belongings or relatives buried under the rubble. Israel is said to be arming and training militias of Gazans who are willing to collaborate with Israel. This could be a recipe for civil war. And anyone who has observed the fate of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank can see that such cooperation with Israel does not guarantee that the rights of Palestinians will be respected.
Germany has announced that it will resume the provision of military equipment to Israel which it had reluctantly halted this fall. France has recognized a Palestinian state yet canceled a symposium on Palestine this month. Journalists are still not permitted to enter the Strip. The pattern is similar to what happened with the signing of the Oslo Accords: The first Intifada had raised attention to Palestinian concerns, but once the so-called peace process was initiated, the sense of urgency dissipated. The mere absence of open conflict enabled Israel to continue its settler-colonial expansion and ethnic cleansing unabated – international supervision is not likely to contain it. And Palestinians will not accept foreign rule.
It is unimaginable how Gazans are enduring these conditions! Yet amid these developments, life goes on. The articles in this combined November-December issue present how Palestinians have endured for decades and shed light on the Palestinian economy and what the term resilience means in the context of the occupation that prevents any real development.
We wish to thank those who chose TWiP as a platform to advertise their services, thereby contributing to our sustainability. We also thank the authors who added value to this issue. They include H.E. Eng. Mohammad Al Amour, the Minister of National Economy of Palestine; Raja Khalidi, the former director-general of the Palestine Economic Policy Research Institute (MAS); Fuad Abu Saif, the founder of the Palestinian Seed Bank; Arab Hospitals Group; Omar Da’na, an independent policy advocacy and human rights expert; Dr. Ali Qleibo, an artist, author, and anthropologist; Rift Valley Farms; the Palestine Capital Market Authority; Mohammad Ali Hammoudeh, who leads NextGen Power; and Ziad Anabtawi, a leading entrepreneur and philanthropist.
If you are looking for Christmas presents, take a look at our three books of the month: Israel on the Brink by Ilan Pappé, Palestine Mapped by Tom Suárez, and the children’s book Everything Grows in Jiddo’s Garden. Visit our Exhibition of the Month, Northward … Southward by Yousef Saadeh.
We are grateful that Tamer, our designer, is in better health and wish a blessed holiday season to all who are celebrating. Most of all, we wish for a peaceful new year for all!
Tina Basem
