Facebook: Daily life in Gaza, by Radmila Stojanovic
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By Radmila Stojanovic (facebook)
On Tuesday 26 Jan '10 the 8 hour daily electricity cuts were replaced by the 12 hour ones and than on Wednesday the news came that there will be no electricity at all because Gaza run out of diesel needed to run its power stations. People were saying that Israel was refusing to allow diesel and it later turned out that that was only a smaller part of the problem.
From what I could gather from Aljazeera in Arabic and talking to people, until January Gazan electricity was paid for by the European Union (EU). The EU decided some time ago that they could not afford the expense in the times of own economic downturn and duly informed Gaza and Ramallah about it. Because Gazan government could afford it even less, Gazans were plunged into darkness for a whole day and a bit until Ramallah decided last Thursday to buy them some electricity from Israel and Egypt. I doubt that this would get Abu Mazen any brawny points in this place, where many believe that he would gladly see them die just to get at Hamas.
He does not do himself any favors when he says that Egypt is right to be building a metal border wall which will go deeply into the ground and cut the tunnels which are preventing starvation in Gaza. 'Egypt is a sovereign state and the Gaza – Egypt trade should be taking place through the border crossing', he says to the Guardian journalist recently and one wanders what planet does he live on. He must know that Egypt keeps border crossing with Gaza firmly shut most of the times and that statements like these only make Gazans like Hamas even more.
So now we are on 12 hours 'off' 8 hours 'on' regime. It is 11.30 at night on Monday 1 February and I am sitting in the dark with the lamp and typing away. Not everybody sits in the darkness though. It is always the poor and the poor internationals (-: who suffer. The UN building across the street is as well lit as ever and at least our street is never pitch black.
The diesel powered generators salesmen are doing a roaring trade these days selling those electricity producing machines which look like the grass cutters, at 300 dollars or more a piece. The moment the power is cut an almighty buzz of many generators starts. This is definitely the sound of Gaza nowadays, just like jazz is the sound of New Orleans. There are worries that soon diesel will become even scarcer (it is already in short supply) and that equality amongst Gazans will be established with nobody having electricity during the cut times.
At the same time the cooking gas is becoming difficult to come by and I have seen containers being sold by the road for the first time since I arrived almost a month ago. The combination of no electricity and no cooking gas is going to make lives of Gazans very difficult no matter how used they are to coping with abnormal life conditions.
But than again the tunnel trade will probably respond to the increase in demand by increasing both supply and prices. And if Abu Mazen's wishes regarding the Egyptian wall come true, god only knows what will happen to 1.5 million besieged and imprisoned Gazans. What people who have money do when there is no regular supply of basics is - stock up. Firefighters form the Civil Defense and the staff Red Crescent told me that there has been a sharp increase in number of fires and related injuries caused by people stocking diesel and gas in their homes.
Good old miniature white donkeys, the kings of Gazan streets, are so not affected by all this and are everywhere pulling enormous weights. Day and night they whiz between the posh four wheel drives and less fancy battered old cars, such as in Europe long forgotten Peugeot 404s which I am told used to be taxis taking Gazans to work in Israel years ago.
Peugeot should come to Gaza to make a commercial about the quality and durability of their cars. It would be a very exotic commercial with dusty bustling streets, bearded traders and shoppers, and Peugeots and donkeys as indestructible survivors. I can see it in my head! I must write to Peugeot and sell them the idea with all income going to the (International Solidarity Movement) ISM (-: I particularly like the Peugeot 404 pick ups which I have never seen before. A friend who is a vintage car enthusiast , and who has beautifully restored 10 oldest cars in Gaza (must write about this some other time), told me that initially Gazans bought Peugeots because they were good cars but also because they could easily get spare parts for them in Israel and from each other. Gazans can keep anything going but unfortunately, what is happening to them feels like a vile experiment in how much they can endure, day in day out.
