Israel wants to raze the Gaza Strip to the ground and possess it

The security minister of the Israeli government, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has demanded the resettlement of the Gaza Strip during a party-like atmosphere on its border with Israel at a time when there was renewed Israeli bombing of northern Gaza which left hundreds of Palestinians dead.

The security minister has made it clear that they want to possess the Gaza Strip as far as I can tell. He said: "We will encourage voluntary transfer of all Gazan citizen. We will offer them the opportunity to move to other countries because the land belongs to us."

I don't know whether he's speaking on behalf of the Israeli government or not. He may well be but I suspect that a government spokesperson will say that he isn't. But he is in my view. Because the 70% destruction of infrastructure in the Gaza Strip by Israeli bombing together with the 42,000 men, women and children killed and we don't know how many animals, is compelling evidence to believe that what the security minister says is true.

The IDF is making the Gaza Strip uninhabitable and in doing so they want the residents there to leave and find other homes so that the Israel government can possess the Gaza Strip and call it a part of Israel.

Having read this news, I did some research on the history and the creation of the Gaza Strip and its bearing on today's conflict. It's a very complex story. A story of mismanagement by the West I would argue and what is now a complete mess of an arrangement which can never work and will never work. Although, I confess I'm being very pessimistic but perhaps I'm being realistic.

Below is the history of the Gaza Strip. I think it is useful to read it very carefully because it explains a lot of what is happening today.

The history of the Gaza Strip is deeply intertwined with the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the legacies of colonialism and geopolitical strife in the Middle East. Its modern creation and development have made it a central flashpoint in this long-standing conflict. Below is a summary of its historical context and relevance to today's situation.

1. Pre-1948: Ottoman and British Rule

• Ottoman Empire (1517-1917): The Gaza Strip, part of historic Palestine, was under the control of the Ottoman Empire for centuries. It was a modestly populated area, primarily consisting of Arab Muslim communities, with smaller Christian and Jewish populations.
• British Mandate (1917-1948): After World War I, the Ottoman Empire collapsed, and Britain took control of Palestine under a League of Nations mandate. During the British Mandate, tensions between Jewish and Arab communities grew, exacerbated by Jewish immigration to the area due to Zionist movements and European anti-Semitism, particularly after the rise of the Nazis in the 1930s.

2. Creation of Israel and the 1948 Arab-Israeli War

• 1947 UN Partition Plan: In response to growing violence and competing claims over Palestine, the UN proposed a partition plan that would divide the land into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem under international control. The Jewish community accepted the plan, but Arab states and Palestinian leaders rejected it.
• 1948 War and Nakba: After the creation of Israel in 1948, surrounding Arab nations (Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and others) declared war. The conflict led to the displacement of around 700,000 Palestinians, an event known as the "Nakba" (catastrophe), many of whom fled to the Gaza Strip, then occupied by Egypt. By the war’s end, Israel had expanded beyond the UN’s partition boundaries, controlling 78% of historic Palestine, while Egypt held the Gaza Strip and Jordan took the West Bank.
• Egyptian Control (1948-1967): After the 1948 war, Gaza was controlled by Egypt, but it was not annexed. Gaza became a narrow, densely populated enclave, primarily housing refugees from the war. Egypt did little to develop the area, and it remained impoverished, with no formal Palestinian government established there.

3. 1967 Six-Day War and Israeli Occupation

• 1967 War: Israel launched a preemptive strike against Egypt, Syria, and Jordan in what became known as the Six-Day War. Israel captured Gaza, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights.
• Israeli Occupation: Following the war, Israel began occupying the Gaza Strip, instituting military rule over the Palestinian population. Israeli settlements were established in Gaza, and the Strip became a zone of intense conflict between Israeli forces and Palestinian resistance.

4. Oslo Accords and Palestinian Self-Rule (1990s)

• Oslo Accords (1993): The peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) led to the establishment of the Palestinian Authority (PA), which gained limited self-rule over parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The agreement envisioned a two-state solution, though key issues (borders, refugees, status of Jerusalem) were left unresolved.
• Division Between Hamas and Fatah: In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew its settlements and military forces from Gaza, although it retained control over Gaza's borders, airspace, and waters. In 2006, Hamas, an Islamist militant group, won Palestinian parliamentary elections. A year later, a violent split between Hamas and Fatah (the ruling party in the West Bank) left Hamas in control of Gaza, while Fatah maintained authority over the West Bank.

5. Gaza Under Siege: Blockade and Conflict (2007–Present)

• Israeli-Egyptian Blockade: After Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on the Strip, severely restricting the movement of goods and people in and out of the area. The blockade has been devastating for Gaza's economy and living conditions, resulting in widespread poverty, high unemployment, and shortages of basic necessities.
• Hamas-Israel Conflict: Since Hamas's rise to power, Gaza has been at the center of recurring wars between Israel and Hamas, often sparked by rocket fire from Gaza and Israeli airstrikes. Major conflicts occurred in 2008-09, 2012, 2014, and most recently in 2021. These conflicts have left thousands dead, mostly Palestinians, and Gaza’s infrastructure severely damaged.
• Humanitarian Crisis: The population of Gaza has continued to grow, with over 2 million people living in a territory about 140 square miles. Over 70% of Gaza's residents are refugees or descendants of refugees from 1948. The blockade, wars, and Hamas' rule have contributed to a dire humanitarian crisis, with the UN frequently warning that Gaza is becoming unlivable.

6. Relevance to Today:

• Ongoing Conflict: The Gaza Strip remains a focal point of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The blockade, combined with the militant activities of Hamas, leads to regular flare-ups of violence, resulting in civilian casualties on both sides. The area has become symbolic of the broader struggle between Israelis and Palestinians, with Gaza often seen as emblematic of Palestinian suffering and resistance.
• Geopolitical Significance: Gaza's situation is a source of broader regional tension. Hamas is supported by Iran and other actors opposed to Israel, while Israel’s policies are backed by the U.S. and other Western nations. Egypt also plays a key role, controlling Gaza’s southern border and often mediating between Hamas and Israel.
• Humanitarian Concerns: Gaza’s economy is on the verge of collapse, with inadequate access to clean water, electricity, healthcare, and education. International organizations continue to call for an end to the blockade and for more aid to be allowed into the area.
• Peace Efforts: The split between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority complicates any peace negotiations, as Israel, the U.S., and others consider Hamas a terrorist organization. This fragmentation in Palestinian leadership, coupled with Israel's security concerns and expanding settlements in the West Bank, has stalled peace efforts for a two-state solution.

Key Points Today:

• Gaza remains a densely populated area under blockade.
• Hamas controls Gaza, leading to periodic escalations in violence with Israel.
• The humanitarian situation is dire, with international calls for improved living conditions and peace.
• The broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including issues of borders, refugees, and Jerusalem, continues to fuel tensions.

In conclusion, Gaza's creation, its history of occupation, and its role as a site of conflict are central to understanding the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The situation in Gaza exemplifies many of the broader regional and political dynamics that make the conflict so difficult to resolve.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.

Israel has enough money to solve their street cat problem

On International Cat Day, The Jerusalem Post states that Israel's 2 million street cats remain a crisis. The country's government should be ashamed of themselves. Their street cat problem can be solved with commitment and funding. They have the money but lack commitment. How rich is Israel? The country has a hefty GDP of $273.2 billion. The population is less than that of London in the UK at 7.8 million. 

Israel has enough money to solve their street cat problem. Photo: Pixabay.

The per capita GDP for Israel is $36,200. There's money in Israel. They've got to put some of it into extensive TNR programs. The only way to resolve their street cat problem is to have extensive, committed TNR programs. It is the only humane way to deal with street cats. They should combine that with education to ensure that all domestic cats are spayed and neutered at the earliest possible time. Provide free courses on cat caretaking. I'll help if someone asks!

They could do a lot more such as compulsory registration of cats to ensure that standards of cat caretaking are improved as part of a package to ensure that cats are spayed and neutered. They could make it obligatory to microchip cats. They could make it obligatory to spay or neuter cats. They've got to take bold steps. It's pointless to simply complain about their 2 million stray cats as they have done for years.

Perhaps the street cats have become a feature of the country and the tourist board believe that they enhance tourism. That might be a possibility as to why nothing happens. What appears to have been neglected in this discussion is the welfare of the cats. Being a street cat even if you are fed by the residents is not a good or happy life.

The Jerusalem Post says that nobody has made real progress to stop the suffering of these animals. Surely, International Cat Day is a good moment to start investing in the welfare of street cat? Put some money into it. Not small amounts like tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. But put millions of dollars into the problem and create a government minister who has jurisdiction over the welfare of these cats. Make it his or her duty to ensure that over the next 20 years the population size of street cats in Israel will be reduced by two thirds or 66%. That will be a nice target and it would be achievable.

Why are there so many feral cats in Israel?

The simple answer to the question in the title is that the people of Israel in general accept and don't mind the presence of community cats in their country. They are part of the fabric of life in the country I think it is fair to say. They are there because of the usual reasons which is some cat owners not spaying or neutering their cats and some of these cats become stray and feral cats and they procreate and so on. Unless steps are taken the numbers continue to grow. I have been to Jerusalem. There are lots of feral cats. The crucial point is to prevent the creation of stray cats in the first instance. There comes a time when it is harder and more expensive to resolve a 'feral cat problem'.

Jerusalem. Woman feeds community cats. Photo: EPA/ABIR SULTAN

There are apparently 2 million of them in Israel and the numbers are of course increasing because not enough of them are spayed and neutered under TNR programs. Despite the fact that there is no real commitment to deal with them in a humane way at present there may come a time when things change due to sheer numbers.

Someone predicted that there will be 8 million feral cats in the country in several years which would match the number of citizens in Israel.

The agricultural Minister apparently believes that the country should not neuter or spay cats because it would go against God's wish to be fruitful and multiply! That sounds rather far-fetched to me but I am open to an alternative viewpoint.

This Minister wants to ship out either all the male cats or all the female cats to another country which agrees to accept them. This would of course mean the feral cats of Israel could not multiply and it would solve at a stroke the feral cat problem. In fact they would all die out in about 15 years in theory.

Israel have a good relationship with their feral cats. They have banned declawing. They are good at animal welfare in my opinion. They won't want to deal with the cats inhumanely. There will probably start funding TNR programs more efficiently and also funding veterinarians to spay and neuter community cats free of charge. They should rely upon volunteers to help. Volunteers very often want to help and be involved. They keep the costs down.

Feral Cats Of Israel

The feral cats of Israel are very visible. When I was there about 12 years ago I immediately noticed them scuttling around the alleyways. It was sad to see. You don't see feral cats in the UK. They are there but you don't see them. There must be more of them in Israel because of the warmer weather.

There are four major players in the feral cat story of Israel. They are pulling in different directions. Although things are changing.

The Public: The cat as a companion animal is not highly valued we are told. The cat is not kept as a companion animal to the same levels that you find in the UK and USA or Europe. On the basis that that is correct it informs us about the underlying, general attitude of the Israelis towards the domestic and feral cat.

For decades feral cats were simply rounded up and killed because they were considered to be a health hazard (rabies) and a nuisance. This did not resolve the feral cat problem. The feral cat population remained stable (moral: killing feral cats does not work - take note people in the United States who want to kill feral cats).

Obviously there are responsible cat lovers in Israel. But there are also careless ones; one reason why the feral population remains stable after years of slaughter.

Ministry of Environment: these are the humane government employees. For some people they would be considered the more sensible and enlightened too. They support TNR and animal rights. This ministry has also issued guidelines on feeding feral and stray cats and how to deal with cat colonies. I wonder if these guidelines conflict with those of the Ministry of Agriculture?

Ministry of Agriculture: this part of government tends to prefer killing as a means of feral cat control. It appears to be a discredited method although they would argue that in keeping the population stable they have prevented it rising. Apparently the ministry's vets don't understand TNR or want to get involved in it or in publicly funded sterilisation programs. They have issued a procedure that instructs people how to deal with feral cats in relation to trapping, feeding and euthanasia. I have not seen the document but it appears to favour killing. Poisoning feral cats, however, is a crime under existing Israeli legislation (para 4 of the Animal Welfare Law, 1999). People still trap and kill feral cats.

The Court: the Supreme Court has stepped in. They appear to have decided that the Ministry of Agriculture procedures are unacceptably harsh and cruel in promoting the large scale killing of feral and stray cats. They may even have been in breach of the animal welfare laws of the country - I don't know. The court declared that non-lethal solutions are preferable. This must include TNR, the best known non-lethal method. The court also wished to refine rules governing the control of rabies.

As a result of the court's declaration a committee has been set up bringing together parties from "Ministries of Health, Agriculture, Environment and Interior, local authorities, veterinarians and representatives of animal welfare organizations" to find common ground and a better and more humane way to deal with the feral cats of Israel.

Note: Israel has an increasingly enlightened attitude to animal welfare demonstrated by making declawing illegal.

Sources: The Welfare of Cats edited by Irene Rochlitz and The Ministry of Environmental Protection, State of Israel - Cat Welfare.