[Type text] The Gaza Strip

Egypt’s Tight Control (1949 – 1967)

The population of the Gaza Strip grew increasingly fast due to the many refugees that were fleeing the war between Israel and the Arabs. All these refugees were issued All-Palestine passports, however they were not offered citizenship by Egypt. During the Sinai campaign of 1956, Israeli troops occupied territories in the Gaza Strip and in the Sinai Peninsula. Yet, withdrawal soon occurred due to the pressures of international nations.

After the All-Palestine government was discredited by most all nations, Egypt continued its tight control of the Gaza Strip. This territory was never annexed into Egypt, but rather treated as a controlled territory. A single military officer was placed control over the region. In 1967 Egypt lost this control to Israel after the Six Day War.

The Gaza Strip is the location of many conflicts that are burning in the Middle East. Between Egypt, Israel, and

Palestine, the control of this region has been passed around since the beginning of 1949 when the borders were established.

Issues revolving around this area have moved their way into the international eye of all countries involved with the conflicts in

the Middle East. Many devastating events have occurred in this area and have cost the lives of countless people.

Egypt’s border shared with the

Gaza Strip

Rocket fired from Gaza by Palestinians aimed at an Israeli target

DEVON HARVEY

DEVON HARVEY

A bomb dropped on the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces

Explosion due to missiles fired into the Gaza from Israeli aircraft

[Type text] The Gaza StripDEVON HARVEY

The Rule of Hamas

Ever since Israel retreated, the Gaza has been under the control of Hamas. Hamas is a Palestinian political party. They are Sunni Islamists and despise Israel and the Jews. The European Union, Canada, Israel, Japan, and the United States have all categorized Hamas as a terrorist group, though Arab countries and other countries, including Russia and Turkey, do not view Hamas as such.

Hamas has been put under international pressure because of the party’s refusal to abide by the declarations set forth by the Middle East peacemakers. Some of these declarations include: renouncing violence, the recognition of Israel as an independent state, and acknowledging the agreements that have been established between Palestine and Israel as valid. In 2006 Hamas won elections in Gaza, following which, Israel and Egypt enforced an embargo on the Gaza allowing only basic supplies to get in. However, in 2010 Israel relaxed the pressure of the embargo due to international reproach. Now, almost no goods are stopped from getting into the Gaza Strip and its economy has greatly improved.

DEVON HARVEY

A Hamas group marches together protesting Israel as an independent state

"The Jews are the most

despicable and contemptible

nation to crawl upon the face

of the Earth, because they

have displayed hostility to

Allah.”~ Atallah Abu Al-Subh: Former Hamas

minister of culture

Palestinians holding white flags after leaving their house in an area where fire is exchanged often

Palestinian firefighter cleaning blood from and street in t Gaza

[Type text] The Gaza StripDEVON HARVEY

Israel Moves into Command (1967 – 2005)

Israel’s victory in the Six Day War allowed them to take control of the Gaza strip and then send more Israeli citizens into the area. Eventually, more than 20% of settlements were Israeli. Also during the Six Day War, Israel was able to seize control of the Sinai Peninsula, much to the contempt of Egypt. Nevertheless, in 1979 the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty was signed which forced Israeli troops to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula. The final and complete status of the Gaza Strip was not defined within the treaty; but, Egypt did relinquish all control of territories that were north of the international border. This left the Israelis in charge of supplying basic facilities and services to this territory.

The Intifadas of Gaza

In 1987, the first intifada (Palestinian uprisings against the Israeli control) broke out, but was ultimately handled carefully. The second Intifada took place in September of 2000. This was the first of the bombings against Israel, many of which were suicide bombers and rockets attacking the Israeli borders. In 2005, the Israeli government voted to have a complete unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip. This meant that all Israeli citizens living in the region would have to leave their establishments by a certain date or they would be forcibly evicted. The total estimate of Israelis that were forced to leave was 9,000.

On September 12, 2005 Israel declared a formal end to the military occupation of the region. To avoid any accusation of still being in the area, Israel even removed its occupation in the Philadelphia Route which is a narrow strip of land that borders with the southern border and Egypt. Under the Oslo Accords, the Philadelphia Route was to stay under Israeli rule in order to prevent the smuggling of weapons to and from Egypt. However, Israel still patrolled both the borders of the Gaza Strip.

DEVON HARVEY

SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST AND/OR CALL-OUTS

Burning of the Israeli flag by Palestinians

Palestinian man standing up to the Israeli rule

[Type text]

Bibliography

CIA. (2012, September 11). The World Factbook. Retrieved September 30, 2012, from CIA: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gz.html

Cohen, A. (2009, January 4). The Big Picture. Retrieved September 30, 2012, from Boston.com: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/01/scenes_from_the_gaza_strip.html

justiceforgaza.com/hamas. (n.d.). Hamas Home. Retrieved October 13, 2012, from Justice for Gaza: http://justiceforgaza.com/hamas/

Moussa, H. (2009, January 5). The Big Picture. Retrieved September 30, 2012, from Boston.com: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/01/scenes_from_the_gaza_strip.html

Nechushtan, G. (2009, January 7). The Big Picture. Retrieved September 30, 2012, from Boston.com: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/01/scenes_from_the_gaza_strip.html

Ou, E. (2012, September). Middle East. Retrieved September 30, 2012, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/09/08/world/middleeast/20120909-GAZA.html?ref=gazastrip#

The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise. (2012). The Gaza Strip. Retrieved September 30, 2012, from Jewish Virtual Library: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/gazatoc.html