Israeli shells, Palestinian bullets both hazards for Gaza residents

[Behind the Aegis]

11:00 A.M. A deluxe terminal is under construction at the Erez border crossing between Israel and Gaza. It appears to be nearly all window, an interesting architectural choice in light of the sonic booms that shake the Beit Hanun area every two minutes on average.

The pager flashes a message from the Spokesman's Office of the Israel Defense Forces: "In response to the firing of Qassam rockets at Israel, the IDF is firing shells." The Erez crossing is empty. There are no workers, just a few Palestinian merchants still permitted into Israel.

The main road to Gaza, Salah Al-Din Road, is filled with potholes. Suspended from the electricity cables above the road are the yellow flags of Fatah and the green ones of Hamas, souvenirs from the January elections. There is no evidence of roadwork or new construction. The donkey-drawn carts carrying cooking-gas canisters are a sought-after item in this time of shortages of basic goods. Palestinians in the Gaza Strip face two main threats - wayward Israeli shells that miss their targets of militants, and stray bullets resulting from the street battles between Fatah and Hamas.

11:30 A.M. The offices of the Palestinian prime minister, in Gaza City's Tel al-Hawa neighborhood. It is currently staffed by Hamas followers. Despite the fact that two Israelis visited the previous day, the presence of an Israeli still provokes awkward looks and political arguments.

"You must agree to a single state from the sea to the river," the Hamas people tell their Israeli guest. "You can live with us in peace, just as you did all those years with the Muslims. You Mizrahim know what it's like to live with Arabs; the problem is with those who came from Europe."


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