BYE BYE GAZA - Barry Chamish

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Sharon has a number of issues he has to deal with, all of
them complex, and they fall under two major headings. The
first one is Gaza itself. If Sharon wants this withdrawal to be
a bridge towards the resumption of the peace process ­ and
to make sure Gaza is not turned into a hotbed of renewed
terrorism ­ then he must do certain things that would enable
Palestinians in Gaza to revive their economy, to create a
political horizon for a return to the peace process, and more
specifically, [to help them achieve] a Palestinian state, so
they do not come to the conclusion that this was indeed what
Sharon intended ­ Gaza first and Gaza last ­ as some critics
were saying all along.
What are these things that Sharon has to do?
He has to open the borders and place them under
international supervision. [This will] enable the Gazans to
conduct trade and have free movement of people and goods,
subject to international controls at the crossing points, both
to the West Bank itself ­ so there is secure access for
Gazans to the West Bank ­ and also to Egypt, Jordan and
the rest of the world. There will not be any investment in
Gaza if Gaza doesn’t have the opportunity to trade with the
rest of the world and export its agricultural and manufactured
goods. That’s absolutely key.
This also requires that the airport be reopened. Palestinians
also need a seaport, but that’s for the future. It will take them
at least three years to build a seaport, which only
emphasizes the importance of opening these other points of
entry and exit into Gaza. If that does not happen, Gaza will
be turned into a large prison.
Has Israel at this point agreed to any of these issues?
There’s no final agreement on any of them. Sharon has said
Israel is looking at these matters, but so far [he] has made no
definitive commitments.