Published: 16 April 2020
Last updated: 4 March 2024
"WHEN I BEGAN to think about what could happen in Gaza when the Corona virus hits, I knew I had to do something," explains Yaara Benger Alaluf, a historian and political activist. "What is happening in Gaza is our responsibility as Israelis."
Together with a group of three other friends, three weeks ago Benger Alaluf established a campaign to raise awareness and express solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The campaign, called Epidemic in Gaza, is primarily internet-based. To date it has raised NIS 96,000 (A$41,500), with most of the money coming as small contributions from more than 800 people.
Since its establishment on March 25, some 978 people have "liked" the page, and it is followed by over 1,000. Most of the comments are positive, and, while a few do call for a release of the Israelis held in Gaza as a condition for any such efforts, the site is free of any trolling or aggressive responses.
Benger Alaluf, who holds a PhD from the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in Berlin, is currently the director of Education for Zochrot, an Israeli NGO dedicated to promoting awareness of the Palestinian Naqba (the 1948 Palestinian exodus). She has been involved in other human rights activities against anti-Semitism and other forms of racism and inequality.
Benger Alaluf emphasises that the campaign is independent and not allied with any other organisation. "I believe that it is important that grassroots activities stem from solidarity and a sense of personal commitment," she explains, even though this has meant that they did not benefit from the support that an existing NGO could have provided.
Dr Guy Shalev, a medical anthropologist and postdoctoral researcher at the Martin Buber Society in the Humanities and Social Sciences at Hebrew University, is another of the organisers. Shalev has been active in "Physicians for Human Rights" since 2014 and is a member of the board of the organisation.
He and Benger Alaluf are also both involved in "Academia for Equality," a members' organisation working to promote democratisation, equality and access to higher education for all communities living in Israel.
Currently, there are 13 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Gaza, all in quarantine.
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Shalev emphasises that although the campaign is intended to give direct support and provide aid for dealing with the spread of the coronavirus in Gaza, it is also intended to bring attention to the need for a structural change there.
"Most of the Palestinians in Gaza are refugees from the 1948 war who cannot return to their homes or the land that was taken from them by Israel," he says. "They have been under occupation since 1948 – first by the Egyptians, and since 1967, by Israel.
“Israel controls all aspects of life in Gaza, even after the so-called redeployment in 2005. These are the real root causes of the poverty and overcrowding in Gaza and for their inability to combat the looming crisis effectively."
Shalev says he has been "very pleasantly surprised" by the “heart-warming” response to the campaign. "Even in this time, when so many people are facing economic insecurity, people care about and are willing to give to others. Instead of the politics of division that the government is pushing, we are seeing inclusion and solidarity."
The money raised will be used to purchase hand sanitiser and other medical equipment, which will be transferred to Gaza through the auspices of Physicians for Human Rights.
Shalev also believes the contribution can lead to greater awareness of the root problems in Gaza. "I think that people are more involved when they have to make a contribution, and so even though this is a difficult time, they will be willing to think about the situation."
"It is always difficult to get the Israeli Jewish public to think about Gaza," says Benger Alaluf. "It is far away, and not that many Israelis realise that despite the redeployment, Israel is responsible for everything that happens in Gaza. But maybe at this time of uncertainty, there is a greater sensitivity. While of course there is no comparison, maybe Israelis under lock down can at least begin to understand what it means to live under occupation in Gaza."
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As part of the consciousness raising, the organisers have created a sticker, with slogans such as "there are only 70 ICU beds in Gaza," that can be downloaded and reprinted. "We didn't want the campaign to be just on Facebook and social media," Shalev explains.
He says he is aware that "at least some part" of the situation is the responsibility of the Hamas, who have not spent their money on social infrastructure in Gaza. "If I were a Gazan, I wouldn't vote for Hamas," he notes.
"But I am an Israeli, and as an Israeli my concern is for the people in Gaza, not their political leaders. And we must understand that the basic difficulty in Gaza stems from the crisis of 1948 and the ongoing Israeli control, through which the Gazans have no ability to maintain themselves without international aid.”
Recently, Hamas security forces in the Gaza Strip arrested local peace campaigners and accused them of treason after they held a Zoom virtual conference with Israeli activists. Eyad al-Bozom, a spokesperson from the Hamas-run interior ministry, was quoted in The Guardian as saying the activists had been detained on charges of “establishing normalisation activities with the Israeli occupation via the internet”.
Benger Alaluf admits she finds this frustrating. “I want to show solidarity, and then we, and Palestinian activists, are accused of normalisation. I have no love for the Hamas; the regime is repressive and they do not allow free speech or self-expression. But the people of Gaza face a possible disaster.
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“The immediate humanitarian aid can save lives, but it won't solve the wider problem. On the other hand, if we can help to keep people from dying, then we must do that. I don't care if we think of this as a tactic or a strategy – I care that we have a responsibility on both levels."
According to a report issued on Monday by the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), Israel has no way to prevent the spread of the pandemic in Gaza, but said it can and must take steps to alleviate the situation.
The INSS recommends that Israel should immediately transfer vital medial aid to the Gaza Strip, work with WHO and other relief agencies to mobilise medical resources for the area; avoid obstructing any initiative to establish an emergency government by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas; and prepare to set up emergency assistance infrastructure on Israeli territory adjacent to the Strip.
The Israeli government has already been sending some assistance to the Hamas, including a testing machine and testing kits. In addition, in recent weeks, Israel has allowed dozens of doctors and nurses from Gaza to participate in a course for treating the coronavirus at Barzilai Medical Centre in Ashkelon.
According to press reports, this situation, along with growing alarm on both sides as the virus spreads, has led Israel and the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip to renew talks for a deal in which Israel would release some Hamas prisoners in exchange for retrieval of missing Israelis and the remains of IDF soldiers.
Shalev concludes: “This is a time that even for people who once felt secure have had the rug pulled out from under their feet. Even people who once had a safety net feel that they might be falling into a horrible pit of emptiness, with nothing to count on.
“This is the right time to evaluate many of our assumptions about our situations and about life. And maybe it can be a time for change in the relationship with Gaza, too."
Photo: Image from the campaign page on Facebook; top right Yaara Benger Alaluf, bottom Guy Shalev
