Gaza food system reaches breaking point by Israeli occupation, siege

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Conversation
26 Oct 2022 19:00
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The Israeli occupation pushes the food system in Gaza to its breaking point, further depriving the population of their most basic needs under an unjust siege.

The Israeli occupation restricts Palestinians from planting areas.

Gaza's sandy coastal soils call for a set of abilities that have been perfected over centuries. Over millennia, local types of grape, citrus, date palm, and olive have developed distinctive adaptations to survive in their salinity-prone environments. To the east of what is now the Gaza Strip, the heavier clay-based soils contain adequate moisture and fertility to allow rain-fed agriculture.

As a result of the absorption of its border fields and urban growth, farming in Gaza now mostly occurs in and around metropolitan areas. Small-scale family farming employs 25% of the population, largely women, for both paid and unpaid labor.

The occupation restricted the area for the Palestinians. These no-go areas to the north and east, which historically served as the region's fruit and breadbaskets, contain more than a third of Gaza's farmland.

Those who venture too near these regions run the risk of being shot, and their gear may be taken away or destroyed. "Israel" establishes "border stations" along the 60 km land boundary, some of which are "manned" by drones, ground sensors, and remote-controlled machine guns.

Similar restrictions on access to the Mediterranean prevent Gaza's artisanal fishers from fully accessing the region's most fruitful fishing areas. These restrictions apply to waters within six to 15 nautical miles off the coast. There have already been 644 instances of gunfire blocking access to land or the sea in 2022.

Decrease in production

The production and consumption patterns in Gaza have been significantly altered by frequent airstrikes over the 55 years of occupation and a 15-year embargo. Despite some crops being self-sufficient, the yield of cereals and the amount of animal protein available are appallingly low due to demands on pasture and arable land.

Degraded soil and imported seeds

Many farmers now rely on imported synthetic fertilizers and pesticides to compete with heavily subsidized food imports. These inadvertently raise the price of local agriculture while impairing the biology of the soil and its capacity for fertility and moisture retention. The main cause of groundwater pollution now is nitrate leaching.

High-adapted, nutrient-rich, open-pollinated baladi (local) seeds that can be kept and sowed again each year are displaced by an increased reliance on hybrid seeds. These are the staples of Gazan cuisine, and the variety they represent is crucial for coping with climate change.

"Israel" hastens Gaza's de-development

Gaza's coastal aquifer, which historically supplied the region with pure water, has been over-exploited and tainted by seawater as a result of the increase in population. It is currently regarded as unfit for irrigation or human consumption.

What the UN once called Gaza's de-development, "Israel" hastened it by repeatedly attacking the Strip's vital water, sewage, and energy infrastructure and by denying access to equipment for maintenance or replacement.

Airstrikes on Gaza's sole powerplant and biggest sewage treatment facility caused the discharge of 100,000 cubic meters of sewage onto nearby residences and agricultural areas in 2018.

The same year, a further environmental collapse brought about by the Israeli demolition of sanitary facilities resulted in the release of untreated solid and liquid wastes into the Mediterranean, jeopardizing the fish species that Gazan consumers and fishermen depend on.

Sewage flows may currently have decreased as a result of internationally financed sewage treatment facilities. However, the ongoing danger of constrained capacity, dwindling energy supplies, and upcoming threats still exist.

Destruction of farmland

Land raids continue to pose the biggest threat, despite the blockade's normalization and frequent airstrikes. 112,000 olive trees are thought to have been uprooted between 2000 and 2008 as a result of Israeli incursions.

The UN recorded the devastation of soils, vegetable crops, orchards, cattle, wells, hatcheries, beehives, greenhouses, irrigation networks, barns, and stables following Israeli "Operation Cast Lead", i.e. the Battle of Al-Furqan (2008–2009). Fruit trees that are being replaced or that are still young are not able to live in salty environments.

The UN was denied entry after Israeli "Operation Protective Edge", i.e. the 2014 Gaza War, but maintained that the damage to vital infrastructure had turned into "a repeating reality."

"Israel" sprays herbicides on hundreds of acres of crops every two years, purportedly for security reasons. Additionally, many more acres of cropland are destroyed by the frequent bulldozing of farming lands.

The UN is expected to use member state contributions to compensate for the infrastructure and agriculture destroyed by the Israeli occupation. No farmer compensation for Palestinians has yet been given.

Ultimately the international community, in supporting food “security” while quietly covering the costs of damage, remains complicit in its silence. Israeli violence against Palestinian food and farming systems renders dignified healthy food impossible. Gaza, before much longer, may indeed become uninhabitable.