Media coverage
Deutsche Welle (Indonesian) · 2021-12-21
DW Indonesia’s version of an AP analysis of how Hamas sustains itself in Gaza. Omar Shaban, a Gaza-based political analyst, says that after May 2021 “Hamas stayed in its position and the Israeli government made many compromises”, and that “Hamas is indeed stubborn.”
Every month, hundreds of trucks loaded with fuel, cement, and other goods pass through the no-man’s-land between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. This activity is seen as making Hamas stronger. Hamas is estimated to collect tens of millions of dollars per month in taxes and customs duties at the Rafah border, to fund its government and strengthen its armaments.
That this is happening with the tacit approval of Israel, which regards Hamas as a terrorist group, may sound surprising. Israel says it is working with Egypt to oversee Rafah in exchange for calm in the area.
The opening of this crossing “constitutes a common interest for all parties to ensure a lifeline for Hamas that will enable it to maintain calm in Gaza and prevent an (explosive) outbreak,” said Mohammed Abu Jayyab, an economist and editor-in-chief of a business daily in Gaza.
But that is not all. After surviving 4 wars and a blockade lasting nearly 15 years, Hamas appears to have become more resilient. Israel has also had to accept that this arch-enemy does not seem likely to go anywhere anytime soon. Israel has also broadly accepted Hamas’s rule in Gaza, because a prolonged invasion would be too costly.
“Hamas remained in its position and the Israeli government made many compromises” after the escalation of the conflict last May, said Omar Shaban, a Gaza-based political analyst. “Hamas is indeed stubborn.”
## Revenue of millions of dollars per month
After Hamas seized power from the Palestinian Authority in 2007, Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade to punish the group. The Palestinian Authority now exercises limited rule in the West Bank. As a result of the blockade, smuggling activities through tunnels sprang up in and around Rafah. Hamas is believed to have levied taxes on the goods brought in through them.
Rami Abu Rish, executive director of the crossings at the Hamas-run Ministry of Economy, is tasked with overseeing tax collection from these tunnels. He said the authorities obtain no more than US$1 million a month, or about Rp14.4 billion, from the Israeli crossings and around $6 million from Rafah. But the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Finance says Hamas may be raking in as much as $30 million per month, mainly from taxes on fuel and tobacco entering through Rafah.
A cigarette importer in Gaza, who also declined to be named for fear his business would be disrupted, said that each month a small group of traders imports 9,000 to 15,000 cartons of cigarettes through Rafah.
Hamas charges $1,000 to $2,000 per carton; that alone would generate an average of $18 million. Abu Jayyab, the Gaza economist, estimates that Hamas earns up to $27 million per month, excluding the taxes and customs duties paid on cement and fuel.
## Hamas is not going anywhere
Israel has officially refused to hold negotiations with Hamas. However, over the past decade Israel has negotiated a series of informal ceasefires through its mediators, namely Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations (UN). Israel agreed to ease its blockade in exchange for calm in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is known to have criticized the previous Israeli government’s policy of allowing Qatar to send suitcases of cash for aid to Gaza through an Israeli crossing. But a few months after Bennett became prime minister, cash aid payments to needy families continued through a UN-administered voucher system. Qatar also continued its contribution to paying the salaries of the Hamas-run government in the form of fuel.
Even so, Israel still does not acknowledge that it has somewhat yielded to Hamas’s demands. The new government says it has modified policy to ensure that Hamas will not get a share of international aid.
All construction materials, including those brought in through Rafah, are imported through a monitoring system set up by the UN and the Palestinian Authority after the 2014 war. Israel also says it has banned all major new construction projects until there is an agreement to return two captives and two Israeli soldiers held by Hamas since 2014.
Abu Rish, the Hamas crossings official, acknowledged that at the Israeli and Egyptian crossings there are transport restrictions on goods described as having potential dual-use functions that could be used for military purposes. A senior Israeli Ministry of Defense official said the measure is intended to maximize humanitarian aid while minimizing risks that would benefit Hamas.
Text © Deutsche Welle (Indonesian) — archived here with attribution to the source. — Machine translation for archival reference. — Original source