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The two million residents of Gaza are becoming increasingly trapped as Israel imposes tighter border controls and Egypt closes off the Sinai Peninsula to Palestinian migrants. The economy is nearing a state of disaster as people face long ATM lines and struggle to get the money they need to support their families. Hamas drove the Palestinian Authority out of Gaza in 2007 and Israel views Hamas as a dangerous terrorist group that they are trying to suffocate by tightly controlling the Gaza/Israel border. Disagreements between the Palestinian Authority and Gaza along with the presence of Israel between Gaza and the West Bank having made it increasingly difficult for the West Bank and Gaza to unify in a push for Palestinian statehood.
Discussion Questions
1. Should the U.N. provide humanitarian aid to ease the struggles of Gaza residents and prevent further conflict between Gaza and Israel?
2. Should Egypt and other neighboring Arab countries be doing more to help Gaza?
3. Can Palestinians in Gaza realign with Palestinians in the West Bank so they can refocus on the quest for statehood and resolving ongoing problems with Israel?
I believe that the UN definitely should provide aid to gaza, as most people there are simply attempting to survive and have nothing to do with hamas. I believe that arab countries should definitely help gaza, but aid must be close and well distributed to avoid terrorists gaining the items. However, i do not believe it is currently possible for palestinians to unite, due to the demographic and geographic differences there.
ReplyDeleteYes, the UN should provide humanitarian aid to ease the struggles of Gaza residents and prevent further conflict between Gaza and Israel. Many of these people are here trying to survive. In the article, Muhammad Abu Shaaban "stopped paying [his] son's college tuition [and] he buys his wife vegetables to cook for [his] six children, not meat". With almost no money left, he desperately tries to support his family. Therefore, Egypt and other neighboring Arab countries should aid and support Gaza who is in crisis. I believe that it is not likely for the Palestinians in Gaza to realign with Palestinians in the West Bank because of past conflicts and where the country is located.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day, the citizens of the West Bank and those in Gaza are ultimately Palestinians, no matter there differences. It is imperative that they join forces if they want to have any hope of acheiving statehood. Additionally, the UN, as an international organization, should certainly be providing aid to both Israel and Palestine as needed. Both countries are severely lacking in many resources and require international assistance to continue existing, particularly in the current tremulous state of the region.
ReplyDeleteThe UN should provide aid and more support to the struggles of Gaza. The current situation is not even livable almost inhumane. There are a lot of horrible things going on in the middle east, however, I feel like the inhumane conditions in Gaza are one of the more important ones. The UN can help by having donations available and ready. The geography of Gaza is very different as it is surrounded by water and land. However the geography is only a minor issue. The rebuilding of the aftermath of the 50-day war is one of the biggest and current wars that took place in the middle east. The way the UN could help, is have the neighboring countries help bring another crushed country back to its feet. They could get many beneficial outputs, the border checks could be disbanded and economy would flourish.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do think that the UN should give aid to the residents of Gaza, I don’t think that the UN trying to prevent conflict between Gaza and Israel is going to be a good use of time, since both sides seem to have no problem fighting the other in the past and considering that there is so much tension between the two sides. And, helping the residents of Gaza also goes for Egypt and other countries, not just Arab, because it is a humanitarian issue, not really political. While the region may be controlled by terrorists, according to the US and Israel, that doesn’t mean the innocent people suffering there shouldn’t get any aid. According to the CIA World Factbook, last year there was 26.7% unemployment and in 2014 the national GDP dropped 15.2%, indicating the decline in the quality of life in Gaza. Also, according to the Washington Post, in much of 2017, there was only electricity supplied for about 3-4 hours a day, which is a major problem, and this was because the Palestinian Authority President requested that Israel sent less power to the Gaza Strip. This also indicates that the Gaza Strip and the West Bank reuniting would be really difficult because the two have drifted so far apart in their leadership.
ReplyDeleteConflicts such as these definitely require the presence of UN aid, yet I believe that UN peacekeepers should be present as well for sake of maintaining the absence of violence- with respect to the Hamas. Essentially these ongoing conflicts lead to one problem: the formal creation of a Palestinian country. If the Palestinians were granted their own land, just like the Jews, there would be less conflicts and humanitarian crises. Therefore, it is not too late: the UNSC must consider all effects of the creation of a Palestinian country. There will be pros and cons, yet if the Palestinians were given a homeland, there would be less Islamic terrorist groups, and the UN would not need to spend much of their funding on Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. However, before this is even considered, the Palestinians must be at peace with bordering nations. If they are not on friendly terms, then bordering nations definitely will not help the Palestinians. Hence the UN peacekeepers: while peace is sustained, the Palestinians must take action on forming friendly diplomatic terms with surrounding countries. Thus, only then will nations begin to favor the idea of a formal Palestinian country.
ReplyDeleteYes, I believe the UN should provide financial aid to the people in Gaza. After all, more than half of them are innocent, they simply have the bad luck of ending up in such a dire situation where there is hatred everywhere. The neighboring countries should provide some help as they do want to align with them to conquer Palestine again. The Palestinians also need to create peace and negotiate terms with neighboring countries to get them as allies in case of a breakout of war. However West Bank and the Gaza Strip have changed very differently and they now have completely different views on what should happened. Not to mention they cannot even meet due to their geographical locations and tight borders in Israel. Gaza is considered to be in "constant humanitarian emergency". This simply proves the amount of help these people need to suffice their basic needs.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/UN-Secretary-General-Gaza-is-a-constant-humanitarian-emergency-540748
In answer to question 2, I believe that Egypt and other Arab countries in the region should be doing more to support those in the Gaza strip. The Gaza Strip used to be a part of Egypt, so now they must help their people who reside their with funds and help. They may also be backed by the UN, who can provide humanitarian aid and enlist help from other agencies.
ReplyDeleteIt is important that the west bank and Gaza strip re united to solve the one state/two state, crisis, it is not the immediate solution. As of right now, many people are in a crisis situation, and help must be provided immediately. After the situation is temporarily stabilized, a permanent solution to state hood can be focused on.
Yes, the U.N. should support and assist Gaza as much as possible, considering most people are struggling to survive in such a harsh environment. The 50-day war has just knocked Gaza onto their knees as they are already attempting to survive in such a geographically week area. Providing aid to Gaza by even generously donating money or even helping them re-build on their land will help them get back on their feet. The UN could also provide on-site aid by assisting with any medical needs and hunger/thirst needs. I believe there is no point in attempting to prevent the Gaza and Israel conflict due to their hasty conflict in the past.
ReplyDeleteI agree with others that the U.N. must provide foreign aid to the two million Palestinian Gaza residents. This humanitarian aid must be largely financial for it to benefit Gaza, especially because of the lack of wealth they currently have to support their own families and to promote their own independence. In turn, U.N. foreign aid could possibly encourage a two-state solution, with Israel as one state and Palestine’s West Bank and Gaza Strip as a second state. However, this is only possible if the Gaza Palestinians and West Bank Palestinians are able to reunite. Hopes of creating a Palestinian state from these loosely attached nations are likely dashed, as Israel’s increasing settlements in both West Bank and Gaza have led to other issues at the same time. Furthermore, the diaspora of Palestinians in those areas has led to disputes, especially concerning the status of those Palestinians. Therefore, achieving a pure Palestinian state between West Bank and Gaza may be a bit of a stretch.
ReplyDeleteSorry I forgot my source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14630174
DeleteThe UN should definitely provide aid to these refugees, not only to help those in need with providing for themselves and their families, but to prevent those who can't from turning to extremism as a last resort. ISIS and other terrorist groups in the region prey off those who need to provide for their families, offering them better lives and more financial opportunity if they commit to these radical beliefs. Financial aid would not only give these people a better option, but will prevent radical beliefs from spreading while preventing malnutrition, lack of education, and overall poverty.
ReplyDeleteThe U.N. should provide humanitarian aid to ease the struggles of Gaza residents and prevent further conflict between Gaza and Israel. It would help the people to provide for their families. Many of the civilians are struggling with money in Gaza and it would be best if they weren't just there to fend for themselves. It is a lot of people dealing with the same problem and the UN shouldn't refuse the help needed from 2 million people. I also believe that other neighboring countries should help the Gaza Strip because the Gaza's economic problems could later affect surrounding countries. The surrounding countries need to be open and let some of the Gaza civilians take refuge in their country while their own country is facing economic problems. In order for the residents in the Gaza Strip to reconnect with their Palestinians in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip should first work on their own state. Their nation is sinking deeper and deeper into economic problems to the point where they shouldn't worry about the West Bank. They need a stable nation, then it would be the best time to rejoin the West Bank in their reclaim for statehood. Also with the Gaza's economic problems it makes it hard to fight against the Israelis in order to gain more territory that the Israelis keep on claiming as their own.
ReplyDeleteSince, neighboring countries like Egypt and especially Israel are unwilling to help Gaza, I believe that the UN should step in and provide humanitarian help to the residents of Gaza. With the economy within Gaza in shambles, many citizens are unable to afford the access to basic human necessities which support life. It is also due to the economic disorder that many of the residents of Gaza turn to Hamas to lead them and put their lives to terrorism which only escalates the problem. By providing humanitarian aid to Gaza, they will be helping to sustain the residents and instilling the urge to do good for society. This will over a long period of time lead to the conflict between Israel and Gaza cooling down which will prevent further complications between the two. However, I do believe that the UN should not step in for just conflicts between the two places, unless the involvement of human life is put into the picture. After all, the UN is trying to preserve the well being of a society and its people at all cost.
ReplyDeleteThe UN should provide humanitarian aid to Gaza residents. Gaza is in dire need of help, and if there is any possible way to help the people of Gaza, someone must take action in order for progress to be made. I also believe Egypt and other Arab countries should do whatever they can to help Gaza. Doing so may end some of the suffering in Gaza, and it may help build good relationships between these countries. I think that although it would be a good idea for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank to unite, something like that would take a lot of time and negotiation. I am not sure if many Palestinians have the patience to negotiate with each other. I do think that coming together is necessary for the Palestinians to focus on a quest for statehood, but this will take time.
ReplyDeleteThe UN should provide humanitarian aid to the refugees. Not only will the UN be helping those in need, but it could also help prevent those from turning over to ISIS, as Jennifer stated. I also believe that neighboring countries should to more to help Gaza. As for statehood and the Palestinians in the West Bank & in Gaza, I believe that though the should join forces, but it'll be extremely difficult & will take time. Though statehood for the Palestinians is very important, that option just doesn't seem very likely at the moment. I do agree with Brian on focusing on a two state solution, as it currently seems like the most rational/effective option.
ReplyDeleteGaza just seems like a time bomb about to erupt. Because it;s such a small place the amount of people in the land is the first big problem. The second is the tight border patrol making it difficult to sustain a steady economy. And then there is the terrorist groups that continue to change the image of Gaza and threaten the people there. As it's own place life in Gaza is hard and would much improve if it were able to join with the West Bank, but unfortunately Israel is the land between them which prevents them from joining. This continuous struggle will only increase and add to the harsh living conditions.
ReplyDelete1) I think the UN should help aid Gaza because helping a country that is struggling is a wise decision to make. Not only would it help the country and their government, but it would also form an alliance. If the UN and other countries started to help out and aid countries in need it would start forming lots more alliances with healthier and stronger countries. Although this would be in the far future, but if more countries started supporting each other it would end several wars and prevent wars as well. It may not solve every countries problem but it would be a good start and would have a very positive outcome.
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