[Radix] RADIX is a good place to discuss Palestine: The Political
Economy of a Disaster
Gregory Berger
gringoyo_2000 at yahoo.com
Wed Apr 4 06:31:44 PDT 2007
Might I also suggest that although issues surrounding
Israel and Palestine often divide those of us who are
united around other issues, the silencing of debate
and stifling of discussion is never radical; it is in
fact quite reactionary.
Greg Berger
--- James Lewis <datum at gn.apc.org> wrote:
>
>
> In support of Ilan's initiative and Ben's
> backing, additionally, take a look at
> non-American media for international perspective
> on an international problem - eg below, but there
> are other examples. Make a search -
>
>
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1816625,00.html
>
> James
>
>
> At 03:12 04/04/2007, you wrote:
> >As co-founder of RADIX, I object to Dr.
> >Sapirstein's remark that sharing Prof. Petras'
> >brief essay was inappropriate, and that "Using
> >this forum to air this type of rhetoric seems
> >counter-productive." There is also certainly no
> >need for Patrick Meier to apologize.
> >
> >Ilan Kelman began this thread of discussion with
> >a thoughtful intervention about a "small"
> >disaster -- the failure of a dam holding back
> >sewage. Of course, no event of this kind is
> >"small" from the point of view of people who
> >suffer it. Also, as Kelman pointed out, this
> >event says a lot about the infrastructural crisis
> in Gaza.
> >
> >There are doubtless many complex causes for this
> >event. Petras mentioned some
> >possibilities. While Petras' remarks are
> >embedded in his own broader opinions about
> >lobbying in Washington, from the point of view
> >of "radical interpretations of disaster and
> >radical solutions", we should welcome his
> >substantive comments about poverty that may have
> >driven some to informally mine sand for sale.
> >
> >Other observers and relief teams have added to
> >Petras list of hypothetical, contributing causes.
> >
> >Reuters (via ReliefWeb) had this to say:
>
><http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EKOI-6ZQ7TC?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=ACOS-635PFR>http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EKOI-6ZQ7TC?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=ACOS-635PFR
> >
> > “Aid officials said the capacity of the
> > wastewater plant had been stretched to breaking
> > point. The narrow coastal strip is home to 1.5
> > million Palestinians and the plant served two
> > densely populated areas, Beit Lahiya and Jabalya.
> >
> >“Local authorities have scant resources. Since
> >the Islamic militant group Hamas came to power a
> >year ago, Western donors have halted direct
> >assistance to the Palestinian government and
> >Israel has frozen most tax revenues.
> >
> >“Hamas said the cut-off in international aid
> >"prevented the government from improving and
> >developing the necessary health and humanitarian
> services".
> >
> >“An internal World Bank document, obtained by
> >Reuters, said the plant and reservoir were built
> >on high ground, putting the "surrounding area
> >under an imminent threat of possible flooding".
> >
> >Al Mezan Center for Human Rights (via ReliefWeb)
> stated:
>
><http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KHII-6ZQ2SW?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=ACOS-635PFR>http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KHII-6ZQ2SW?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=ACOS-635PFR
>
> >
> >
> >“Al Mezan Center had frequently warned various
> >stakeholders about the possibility of such a
> >disaster. The Palestinian Water Authority (PWA)
> >and a coalition of north Gaza's municipalities
> >built this basin in late 2006 and said it was a
> >temporary solution that would serve until March
> >2007. There was a crucial need for the basin as
> >the effluent lake and the other basins had
> >reached full capacity. However, the Center
> >warned against the choice of the location on a hill
> over the village.
> >“Since 2000, Al Mezan, along with the
> >Palestinian, UN and international bodies, has
> >been following the environmental and human
> >rights risks that the North Gaza Sewage
> >Treatment Plant poses on the population. Many
> >obstacles undermining the solving of the problem
> >had been overcome; however, the construction of
> >a new treatment plant east of Jabalia to replace
> >this old, primitive facility, built by Israel in
> >1977, was delayed many times. The delays were
> >the result of the prohibition by Israel of such
> >works in the new site, the lack of funds, and
> >the frequent closures of border crossings,
> >preventing the entry of materials and equipment
> >necessary for the construction.”
> >
> >They went on to warn that additional pressure on
> >other holding ponds could cause other breaches
> >and endanger other villages: “
much of the
> >flooded water ran into the other basins and the
> >lake south of the village. Those contain over 50
> >million cubic meters of raw sewage water and had
> >reached their full capacity months before this
> >incident. There is credible fear that one or
> >more of these basins will collapse owing to the
> >added pressure. The village and adjacent areas
> >of Manshiyeh and Fadous, both located in north
> >Beit Lahia town, remain at serious risk because of
> their even lower levels.”
> >
> >UN OCHA agreed with Al Mezan:
>
><http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EKOI-6ZQ324?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=ACOS-635PFR>http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EKOI-6ZQ324?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=ACOS-635PFR
>
> >
> >
> > “The western side of the main effluent lake at
> > the waste water treatment plant is believed to
> > be weak and could be close to collapse if not
> > reinforced immediately. A further 800 houses
> > could be affected in the event of additional
> flooding.”
> >
> >“The flash flooding has led to the discovery of
> >four unexploded Israeli artillery shells. More
> >unexploded ordnance can be expected to be found.”
> >
> >The statistics that Dr. Sapirstein shared with
> >RADIX are not strictly relevant to this
> >particular disaster. They are macro-economic
> >statistics, and if he wanted to contribute to
> >the political economic understanding of this
> >sewage flood, and the possibility of more to
> >follow, Sapirstein should have provided the
> >analytical link between the billions he cites
> >and these sewage holding ponds and adjacent
> >Bedouin villages in Northern Gaza. As Petras
> >wrote, and is widely acknowledged, PLO
> >corruption siphoned off much of the aid money that
> Sapirstein mentions.
> >
> >While I certainly agree with Sapirstein that
> >"dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians" is
> >essential in resolving the underlying conflict,
> >it can only help to enrich that dialogue if
> >scientists, researchers, and practitioners
> >concerned with disaster look very closely at
> >individual events such as this one and attempt
> >to unravel the chain of causation as honestly as
> >they can. That is what RADIX is for, and I
> >congratulate Kelman and Meier for sharing what
> >they think is directly relevant analysis.
> >
> >Dr. Ben Wisner
> ><mailto:bwisner at igc.org>bwisner at igc.org
> >
> >Patrick Meier wrote:
> >>Dear All,
> >>
> >>Please accept my sincere apologies.
> >>No offense intended.
> >>
> >>Best wishes,
> >>Patrick
> >>
> >>
> >>On 4/2/07, Guy Sapirstein
> >><<mailto:guysap at gmail.com> guysap at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >>I am sorry -- I thought this list was for
> >>"radical interpretations of disasters" not
> >>recycled political finger pointing.
> >>
> >>A few facts might be in order:
> >>
> >>-- From 1994 to 2000 there was an increase of
> >>36% in the GNP of Palestinians. in 2000 the
> >>"Second Intifada" was initiated by Arafat and that
> progress was halted.
> >>-- Between 1994-2004 the USA provided the
> >>Palestinian Authority with $1.3 billion in aid,
> >>compared to the EU $1.1 billion and Japan $0.53
> billion.
> >>-- in 1992 the per capita GNP for Palestinians
> >>was $2683- as compared to about $1000 in Yemen,
> >>Nigeria, Chad which are not the poorest among the
> nations.
> >>-- in 2003 Palestinians received aid that
> >>averaged out at $470 PER PERSON. Compare that
> >>with about $30- per person in Yemen. Egypt,
> >>which has 73 million people received $1.286
> >>billion in aid. The Palestinian Authority which
> >>has about 3 million people received $1.616 billion
> in aid.
> >>
> >>Using this forum to air this type of rhetoric
> >>seems counter-productive. Casting blame has
>
=== message truncated ===>
_______________________________________________
> This mailing list is provided by ECIE.ORG for RADIX
> To post a message, send it to: radix at ecie.org
> To subscribe or unsubscribe visit:
> http://ecie.org/mailman/listinfo/radix
> See more information about ECIE:
> http://www.ecie.org/
> Radix - Radical Interpretations of Disaster:
>
http://online.northumbria.ac.uk/geography_research/radix/
More information about the Radix
mailing list