Gaza: the tunnel economy
Did you know that, until a couple of months ago, there was a fully-functioning, illegal road tunnel that you could drive along to get from Egypt to Gaza? Or that 80 per cent of Gaza's imports are smuggled in through a highly-sophisticated network of tunnels?
There's a fascinating -- and detailed -- picture of the Gaza tunnel economy in the latest edition of the London Review of Books.
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"illegal", Robin?
What is 'illegal' when everyone in the area is acting illegally. 'Illegal' is taking sides isn't it? 'Illegal' is expressing a preference? 'Illegal' is being partial! 'Illegal'... I am sure you get what I am saying.
All violence is 'illegal'. Killing people is 'illegal'. Starving people is 'illegal'. Taking money from charities is 'illegal'. 'Illegal' is not a helpful description!
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John you may be right. But nevertheless, this "illegal" network of importing can be a contributing factor to the violence in Gaza. Ammunition and weapons can be transported easily through this network.
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Supreme_SkyLord If the borders (and airport and seaports) were open then they could be policed properly by the Gazans/Egyptians/Israelis with proper and normal controls. Normal transit of people and goods is what is required, not the imprisonment of the people of Gaza - that is not working - due to these so called 'illegal' tunnels! The region MUST move forward - eventually! Uncontrollable tunnels are the worst possible situation.
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John from Helldom; when they were open, vast quantities of arms were being smuggled in to be used to attack and kill Israeli civilians and ultimately attempt to overthrow the Israeli government. The last straw may have been Israeli seizure of a large ship containing many tons of explosives and weapons. The tunnel economy only proves that the Arab determination for what they call "armed struggle" and "armed resistance," what we call terrorism and has been labeled by the UN as war crimes is more important to them than the suffering their isolation and conflict has caused their population. So long as that continues there will be no resolution of the problem. Arabs continue to refuse to accept the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state within secure borders that can be defended and whith Jerusalem as its capital city. Any efforts to bring peace until they unconditionally accept those terms is a waste of time and energy. They have the means to defend themselves. Perhaps after more than six decades of being relentlessly attacked, they also have the will.
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If instead of smuggling in weapons they'd have smuggled in pumps, generators, valves, pipes, and other construction materials, it might not have come to this;
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8327146.stm
If this assessment is correct, 2 million Gazans may soon be drinking a mixture of their own untreated sewage and brackish water from the sea. Expect the rapid spread of typhoid, cholera, and other water borne diseases when it breaks down completely. Had they focused on what was really important in life instead of their hatreds and insane political ambitions it would not have come to this but that has been wishful thinking for 61 years.
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