« June 2007 | Main

Gaza's Collapsing Economy

October 16, 2007 12:10 PM

By SIMON MCGREGOR-WOOD

I arrived at the Erez Crossing into Gaza at 1030 in the morning. It was very quiet. After passport control, an Israeli security guard had to unlock the door leading to the concrete lined passage that takes you into the Gaza Strip. I was the first in.

As he unlocked the door, he peered carefully through a narrow crack, as if someone might be lurking on the other side…..slightly unnerving.

All was well and I walked the several hundred yards across a no-man’s land of rubble towards what used to be the Palestinian passport checkpoint. That’s gone now, and the area around it razed to the ground.

I was in Gaza to meet a Palestinian businessman, Mohammed Abu Dan. He owns a factory making clothes for the Israeli market. But his factory and his 250 workers don’t make anything at the moment.

Ever since Hamas took control of Gaza in June his sewing machines have fallen silent. The borders between Gaza and Israel are closed. Nothing but essential food and medical supplies are allowed in. Gaza’s economy is collapsing and everyone is beginning to feel the squeeze.

Mr Abu Dan showed me around his empty workshops. In the storage room, hundreds of already made pairs of jeans….they should have been sent to Israel months ago. Almost $250,000 worth of merchandise trapped by a political situation he can do nothing about.

“I blame the politicians, he says, both sides Israeli and Palestinian. I am a businessman trying to make a living for myself and my workers, that’s all.”

Abu Dan has been doing business with Israelis for decades. He showed me his travel permit. It normally allows him to travel into Israel to meet his Israeli contacts. When he last tried the Israelis would not let him pass through the checkpoint. He, like his clothing, is trapped in Gaza.

October 16, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)