Isolating Gaza is not the Answer - The Children Are
Rafael D. Frankel, The Christian Science Monitor | September 5, 2008
UNRWA completed its second annual summer camp in the Gaza strip, providing opportunities for 250,000 refugee children. ++ John Ding, UNWRA's Gaza director, says this $4 million summer camp is the kind of policy the region needs. ++ "While Israel and the West use economic embargoes and political isolation in an effort to compel Gazans to moderate their ideology and behavior, Mr. Ding's strategy can be summed up like this: Let the children play." ++ The camp counters extremism among children.
Mon, Sep 8th 2008, 18:39
Lior Petek, University of St. Gallen, Platinum Contributor (216)
Firstly, Palestinian terrorism has two dimensons: the willingness to execute suicide bombings and the ability to execute them. As those camps only target the former, whereas "economic embargoes and political isolation" are meant to target both, I do not agree with Ding's implication that his method is superior when it comes to combatting terrorism. Instead it is just a method among many that should be used.
Secondly, I do not think that Hamas would tolerate those camps if they really thought they were effective in achieving moderation among the population of the Gaza Strip. This further calls into question the actual as opposed to the potential gain of those UNWRA camps.