August 25, 2024 | Sponsored by Semafor |
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With Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip entering its 11th month, the future of the territory hangs in the balance. Internationally brokered negotiations for a cease-fire and a return of the hostages continue, but they repeatedly hit roadblocks as Israel and Hamas refuse to commit to the terms of an agreement. But both sides seem to agree on one thing: the fate of Gaza and the future of the region are very much intertwined. This week, we’re featuring Jean-Pierre Filiu’s essay on the overlooked history of Gaza—and how the territory has shaped the quest for power in the Middle East for centuries.
“Gaza’s sudden new prominence should hardly come as a surprise,” wrote Filiu, a historian of Gaza and the Middle East, in January. “Although little of it is remembered today, the territory’s 4,000-year history” demonstrates that “the Gaza Strip has almost always played a pivotal part in the region’s political dynamics, as well as its age-old struggles over religion and military power.” From antiquity, Gaza was celebrated as an oasis, treasured for “the lushness of its vegetation and the coolness of its shade.” More important, though, its “coveted geography made it a crucial battleground between some of the epoch’s greatest hegemons.”
But in 1948, after centuries as “a strategic crossroads and vital commercial hub for regional trade,” Filiu lamented, Gaza was “reduced to a ‘strip’ of land, cornered by the desert, and cut off from what had been Palestine.” For the Palestinians—including some 200,000 refugees who had fled to Gaza after Israel defeated Arab armies—“the terrible upheaval also planted the seeds of a new struggle that would continue to the present day.”
For nearly two decades, Israel’s policies toward the strip have been informed by a “denial of Gaza’s rich historical identity”—and it was these same policies of economic, political, and military repression that “brought Hamas to power.” But in the wake of the collapse of the status quo and Hamas’s horrific assault on Israel on October 7, it is clear that Israel cannot continue to ignore the human reality of Gaza. Instead, Israel and the world must work together “to allow Gaza to reclaim its historic role as a flourishing oasis and a thriving crossroads,” Filiu wrote. Only then, he argued, can the Israelis and the Palestinians “ultimately enjoy the peace and security they so deeply deserve.”
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Introducing Semafor Gulf — your go-to newsletter for understanding the rising influence of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. Three times a week, the Semafor Gulf team will bring you original reporting that examines how the region's financial, business, and geopolitical decisions shape the world — from culture and investment to infrastructure, climate, and technology. |
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Introducing Semafor Gulf — your go-to newsletter for understanding the rising influence of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar. Three times a week, the Semafor Gulf team will bring you original reporting that examines how the region's financial, business, and geopolitical decisions shape the world — from culture and investment to infrastructure, climate, and technology. Subscribe for free |
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