From
Challenge # 84
March -April 2004
Report by the Palestinian General Federation
of Trade Unions in Gaza
A Report Sent by the
PGFTU-Gaza to WAC on February 20, 2004 (abridged)
"Checkpoints of Death." That is the name the
workers give to the barricades that hinder them on their way to earn bread
for their families. It is a journey of humiliation and danger, a journey
into the unknown. Every day there are new procedures and rules. Every day
there is a new roadblock or a new means of humiliation.
The length of the journey depends, for each worker,
on where he lives. There are those who start at 8 p.m. and others who
start at 11. This is due to the fact that the occupation forces have
divided the Gaza Strip into three parts (north, center and south). At each
border is a military checkpoint, often closed.
Workers from the southern part of the strip are the
worst affected, because of the longer distance they must travel to the
Beit Hanoun [Erez] Checkpoint, the last and biggest hurdle. First these
workers must cross the Abu Huli Checkpoint, which separates the southern
from the central section. Here the soldiers force them to strip their
upper bodies and wait in the freezing cold of the early morning hours.
A worker from Khan Yunis tells of his experiences
at Abu Huli: "The soldiers force us to bare our torsos and raise our hands
in the air while they aim their rifles at us. People don't treat animals
like that. They curse and insult us to put us under psychological
pressure. Sometimes they make us return home for no reason."
The torments reach their peak at the Beit Hanoun
Checkpoint. More than 15,000 workers stand in the cold within a corridor
about half a mile long (812 meters) and ten meters wide. The worker is
jammed within a human trap until he reaches the revolving door, where only
one can pass at a time. There are 24 revolving doors, but only three are
functional. After the worker has gotten through the door, he undergoes
another body check, and only then is the next one permitted to pass. How
much time, do you suppose, is needed for 15,000 to go through, and when
will they get to their jobs?
During the last eighteen months, the occupation
forces have intensified the daily humiliation. The measures include the
demand that the workers strip. They are not allowed to bring any food.
There have also been physical assaults on them.
One worker, Ahmed Abu Maher, reports that he waits
"from two at night until eight in the morning," until the soldiers finish
their search and permit him to pass. "By the time we get through, we're so
tired we can hardly work." Hospital attendants in Gaza report that seven
workers per day, on average, come to them with breathing difficulties as a
result of the crowding and hours of standing in the narrow corridor.
The Israelis also use the system of checkpoints and
permits in order to draft workers into the GSS (the General
Security Services, known as the Shin Beth). One worker reports: "The
soldiers at the checkpoint took my work permit from me, although I have it
from the Israeli Employment Ministry. When I asked why, they told me to
see the GSS officer. He tried to draft me to work for him in exchange for
the bit of bread I earn."
These measures create a dangerous crisis. The PGFTU
therefore sent a warning to all the relevant bodies, pointing out that the
inhuman pressure on the workers might cause an explosion whose results no
one can predict. It was inevitable that a tragedy would occur. Last week
this happened. Muhammad al-Sheikh, 41 years old, died after collapsing in
the early hours while waiting to pass through the checkpoint.
What crime did this worker commit? Seeking to work
for bread: is that a crime? What is the crime of the thousands more who go
through the same torment, day after day?
The material losses afflicting the Gaza Strip as a
result of Israeli policy are enormous. The latest statistics show that the
unemployment rate has reached 60% (about 400,000 workers). About 70% of
Gazan families live under the poverty line. Among the reasons for the rise
in unemployment and poverty is the fact that the occupation forces have
destroyed the places of work, that is, Palestinian workshops and plants.
Until now they have demolished 750 of these.
Israel's policy is counter-productive. The Gazan
workers have no alternative to their jobs in Israel. On the other side,
[by employing a Gazan] Israeli society can gain a worker whose cost is low
and professional level high. No extra costs are involved. The worker
commutes back and forth to his own home. He is also a consumer of Israeli
products.
We are sure that if Israeli society were aware of
the suffering which the Palestinian worker undergoes, the daily
humiliations, the torments and danger, it would change its lethal policy.
We wish to stress that we condemn all forms of
violence against civilians on both sides, but in the same breath we also
oppose the Occupation. We oppose destruction and support creation. Until
when must the Palestinian worker pay with his life for a crust of bread?
All he wants is to reach work in peace and return in peace. He is not a
threat to Israeli society. Israelis should respect the worker's honor.
Only thus will we be able to change things and build together.
For this reason we turn to the Workers Advice
Center, which honestly cares about the Palestinian worker, asking you to
present the true picture of what happens at the checkpoints to all who
work with you. We are meant to live as neighbors, not as rivals. We cannot
forever live by the sword. We have paid a high price, and it is up to us
to ensure that the coming generations will not have to go on paying,
rather that they will respect the value of life.
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