Was Gaza really an “open air prison”?

No, but you wouldn’t want a summer home there

In 2006, on the last day of the Israel-Lebanese war, two Fox News employees were taken at gunpoint off the streets of Gaza. Fox sent me to help get them released, and I spent weeks there doing just that.

I’ll write more insights from that experience over the upcoming days, but I want to address the phrase 'Gaza is an open-air prison,' which I often hear bandied about, usually by Palestinian supporters.

While it’s certainly not on my “gotta go back” list, “prison” is an overstatement. I prefer to compare it to Tijuana, if it were encircled by a wall. With more guns.

The "prison" label comes into play because Gaza is hemmed in by Israel and Egypt. Both nations make leaving the territory nearly impossible, largely because of Gazans' tendency to never return or, worse, murder innocent people.

Here’s what I saw, albeit before this week’s Israeli bombings, which certainly have changed the landscape.

The neighborhoods were a jumble of concrete apartments that seemed to be perpetually caught between construction and decay. Yet, it also boasted hotels, cafés, restaurants, and many nice beaches.

The view from my hotel room Beach Hotel.

Home to over 2 million residents, Gaza operates under its own governance — Hamas — although it’s far from a democratic utopia. Yet, within its borders, life went on. Schools and mosques dotted the landscape, and people moved about freely.

Still, the infrastructure and government were dysfunctional to the point that calling the place a “sh@thole” wouldn’t be unfair. On the other hand, that describes many countries in the mideast.

In 2008, the border wall between Gaza and Egypt was blown up; some Gazans moved south to buy blockade-scarce goods, but many Egyptians actually moved north into Gaza, believing they could find a better quality of life.

We’ve also heard a lot about the “blockade” of Gaza that’s been ongoing, but what does that mean? For security reasons, both Israel and Egypt limit what can come into the country. Basically, they forbid weapons and things that could be “dual-use” such as certain chemicals or even metal pipes. There’s no blockade of food, medical supplies, most building materials, and basic consumer goods.

Fishing has been a contentious issue, since Gazans are restricted to how far off the coast they can go, limiting the types of fish they can catch. The Israelis monitor that, and from my hotel I once witnessed them destroy a boat offshore, lighting up the night sky.

Still, the border was porous, from smuggling to underground tunnels, which is how Hamas sent a thousand armed jihadis into Israel. The blockade is now total; Israel announced that for the moment, nothing’s going in or out.

Hamas always seemed to care more about hurting Israel than helping Gaza. Actually, you could say the same thing about many, likely most, Gazans, who’d willingly live in worse conditions if they believed it would harm Israel.

Those wishes are now coming true. Hamas struck a terrible blow against Israel. Now, it’s Israel’s time to both strike back against Hamas, perhaps eliminating it altogether. Gaza will never be the same.

    – Ken