[Jerusalem Post] Eliezer Whartman - When I first visited the Gaza Strip after the Six-Day War, I encountered a territory that had been run directly by the Egyptian army for 19 years. The secret police probed everywhere. No one was immune from sudden arrest and unlimited imprisonment without trial. The jails were always full and torture was common. There was official censorship of the press and mail, and telephone lines were regularly tapped. For 19 years, the inhabitants of Gaza were prohibited from leaving their homes from 9 p.m. until dawn on pain of death. The Egyptians seized property at will, while refugees were prohibited from owning land. Thousands of young refugees were forcibly conscripted into the Egyptian army. Many were sent to fight Gamal Abdel Nasser's war in Yemen. Three-quarters of the able-bodied were unemployed. Medical and social services were almost nonexistent. The majority of Arabs outside the town of Gaza were left to rot, without sewage, running water, electricity or roads.
2009-06-05 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive