Aid for Gaza?

The editors of the Washington Post call for the United States to send humanitarian aid to Gaza:

Though there are few good options for the people of Gaza, some are better than others. Hopes that Egypt might accept substantial numbers of Palestinian refugees are misplaced. Gazans themselves have little interest in living under an Egyptian regime that they rightly see as responsible for enforcing the blockade. Nor does Egypt have any interest in giving Palestinians refuge. Doing so would implicate Egyptian President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi in a repeat of the Palestinian experience during Israel’s war of independence, when about 700,000 Palestinians fled or were expelled by Israeli forces. This central event in Palestinian memory — called the Nakba, or catastrophe — guides how Palestinians are likely to view resettlement outside Gaza.

Therefore, the priority for the United States, the European Union and Arab states is to move emergency supplies in. This will require Israel to keep its promise of safe passage for civilians to the east and south of Gaza — as well as its commitment to allow aid agencies to operate unimpeded. The E.U.’s announcement of a humanitarian air corridor into Gaza is a step in the right direction. U.S. discussions with Israeli officials on setting up “safe zones” for civilians also hold promise.

I think the editors are engaged in wishful thinking. Like it or not Hamas is the government of Gaza. Any aid provided to the Gazans would inevitably be sidelined by Hamas. There have already been reports of such things happening. There is no practical way to prevent that as long as Hamas remains in control of Gaza.

Nowhere in the editors’ remarks is there a call for Hamas to lay down its arms. That’s the best way to help the Gazan people. Hamas is not popular in Gaza (see my previous post). Hamas’s failure to conduct an election in 17 years, its intransigence, its failure to provide the basics for Gazans, and its unpopularity all call into question any legitimacy that Hamas might have had.