How do people live in the gas sector. Without the right to a normal life: the blockade in the Gaza Strip continues for the tenth year
After eight days of armed conflict between Israel and the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, a truce has begun to operate and a semblance of normal life is returning.
But what is normal life like in the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated and turbulent regions of the world?
Gaza, home to 1.6 million people, is a strip of land 40 km long and 10 km wide. It stretches along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and has land borders only with Israel and Egypt.
In the past, she was subordinate to Egypt, which still controls the southern border of Gaza, but moved to Israel as a result of the Six-Day War in 1967.
In 2005, Israel withdrew its troops and settlers from Gaza, ending 38 years of occupation during which Jewish settlements were a constant source of tension.
A year later, the Islamist movement Hamas won the elections in Gaza. In June 2007, Hamas took full control of the Gaza Strip, driving out Mahmoud Abbas's moderate Fatah group, which controls the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank of Jordan.
The Israelis then deepened the blockade of Gaza, restricting the movement of goods and people into the Gaza Strip.
Economy
This is how they sell shoes - right on the street
With Israel's blockade cutting off Gaza's trade routes with the outside world, the population is largely reliant on international aid and a shadow "tunnel" economy.
All residents of Gaza are living worse now than in the 1990s. The unemployment rate is 30% - and reaches 58% in the age group of 20-24 years.
Agriculture is important but is limited by poor access to drinking water and buffer zones established by Israel along the border.
Fishing for Gaza's 3,000 fishermen is also limited. 10 years ago, they could go to sea at a distance of 12 nautical miles from the coast. Now this distance is limited to three nautical miles.
The only part of the economy that is flourishing is the "tunnel" economy. Under the border line with Egypt, hundreds of tunnels have been dug through which goods are re-customized to and from Gaza.
The tunnels are also used to supply weapons to Gaza.
Education
Most educational institutions in Gaza are supported by the UN
Gaza's education system can't handle the load. The UN, which maintains many of the sector's educational institutions, says an additional 440 schools will need to open in Gaza by 2020.
More than half of the population of Gaza are young people under 18 years of age.
Most schools now operate in two shifts to reach as many students as possible. Classes are large - 40-50 students each.
Despite these problems, official literacy statistics are high - 93% for women and 98% for men.
Population
The population of Gaza is projected to grow from its current 1.64 million to 2.13 million by the end of this decade.
This will increase the population density, which is already one of the highest in the world. In the Gaza Strip, there are 4,505 people per square kilometer.
By 2020, the population density will be 5,835 people per square kilometer.
The ratio of young people aged 15 to 29 to the rest of the population is extremely high - 53%. This means a greater dependence on the content of the parents.
If the economy of Gaza begins to develop dynamically, then this will be a demographic advantage, because the region has many young people of working age. But otherwise, the sector will face social tension and support for extremists, according to the UN.
Nutrition
Most of Gaza's households subsist on UN international assistance because few of them have enough money to meet basic needs. 39% live below the poverty line.
The situation is complicated by Israel's limited access to agricultural land and fishing areas.
According to the UN, if Israel lifts its restrictions, then fishing alone will provide jobs for the population and a source of cheap protein to feed them.
Residents of Gaza are prohibited from cultivating land in the buffer zone - 1,500 meters from the Israeli border. According to UN estimates, this led to the loss of approximately 75,000 tons of products.
Hamada Abukammar is a producer for the BBC's Arab Service in the Gaza Strip. Most of his relatives live in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the north of the strip.
According to him, most eat what the UN workers give, but this is not enough:
"A little flour, rice and a few canned goods, that's all. The checkpoints are closed, and people need goods from Israel for their daily needs. Right now we have no milk, no flour to bake bread. There is absolutely nothing in the bazaar."
Energy supply
Generator, airstrike warning to Israel
Power outages are a daily occurrence in Gaza. Most of the electricity supplied to the sector comes from Israel. There is also a single power plant operating here, and a small part of the electricity comes from Egypt.
However, this is not enough to cover the current needs, which are growing by 10% annually.
Many households have their own power generators, but their fuel is very expensive.
Nyla, a support agency worker, says the situation worsens in the winter due to increased demand.
“Each day we have a power outage for about eight hours ... It happens that we have electricity for eight hours, and then we sit without electricity for the next eight hours. In winter, when the need for heating increases, we are supplied with electricity for a smaller amount hours," she says.
Water supply and sanitation
It rarely rains in Gaza and there is not enough potable water in the wells to meet demand.
The UN calls the water supply and sanitation situation in the Gaza Strip critical.
Sea salt seeped into the ground, causing the level of salinity in drinking water to rise above the maximum allowable.
Access to clean water is much lower than the WHO norm of 100 liters per person per day.
Another problem in Gaza is sewage treatment. Every day, about 90 thousand cubic meters of dirty water and sewage are poured from Gaza into the Mediterranean Sea.
Entertainment
The beach is a good place for a family holiday if there is no sewage
In Gaza, there are few opportunities to have a good leisure time.
According to Hamad, who has small children, "there is no life in Gaza."
The main way of leisure for him is meeting with numerous relatives and friends.
“In the summer we go to the beach, cook something for ourselves on the beach and have dinner in the rays of the sunset, waiting for the lights to turn on,” says Hamada. “Happiness must be created. It is not in work, not in money, but in freedom, in what you want to do with your life."
"I only hope that I will feel like a human being in Gaza. And that I will be treated like a human being outside of Gaza."
It is difficult to get to some places on Earth because of their remoteness from the ecumene, to some because of the harsh climate, and to some because of the boundaries that our globe is lined with. Traveler Pavlo Morkovkin told us about his trip to the Gaza Strip, one of the most closed territories on the planet.
Text and photo: Pavlo Morkovkin
Mediterranean resorts
The internet is full of travel reports from Palestine, with pictures of biblical sites and detailed West Bank itineraries, but not a word about the Gaza Strip. This place is almost inaccessible for an independent traveler. The authors of the backpacker bible Lonely Planet honestly admit that they also couldn’t get there, and they recommend their readers not even to try, referring to the difficult military situation. If your country's foreign ministry website has a section with travel advice, then most likely you will see there a strong recommendation not to go to the Gaza Strip and, if possible, avoid visiting the border areas with it. All these factors together promised to make a trip to the area an extremely exciting experience.
The partially recognized and partially sovereign state of Palestine consists of two exclaves separated by Israeli territory: the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Both of these parts use the same names and symbols, and their citizens carry the same type of passports. However, de facto these are two separate state entities. And if the West Bank is regularly visited by crowds of religious pilgrims and ordinary tourists who want to eat falafel, look at refugee camps and taste other Middle Eastern exotics, then legally entering the Gaza Strip is quite difficult. It is almost more difficult for local residents to go to the “mainland” than it is for a foreigner to get inside, therefore, if you tell about your intention to go there, your desire is unlikely to be understood by the natives.
Just ten years ago, some Gazian Arabs regularly traveled to work in more prosperous Israel, and there were Jewish settlements inside Gaza itself. The latter, however, were under the protection of the IDF, the Israeli army - relations between the Palestinian Arabs and Israel have never been simple. In 2005, all civilian and military Israeli subjects left the Gaza Strip, and full control of the territory passed to the Palestinian Authority. A year later, parliamentary elections were held in the Palestinian state, and in four of the five constituencies of the Gaza Strip, the Islamic fundamentalists Hamas won. Religious radicals then seemed more honest to local residents than the corrupt ruling Fatah party. However, having felt the support of the population, Hamas dealt with all its political competitors and seized power in Gaza, in fact, turning this territory into a separate state entity from the West Bank. Since then, there have been no democratic elections in the Gaza Strip.
For Israel, this meant the following. If it was possible to more or less successfully negotiate a peaceful solution to the conflict with Fatah, then Hamas simply does not recognize Israel's right to exist. The territory that is marked on the maps as Israeli, they consider their own, but temporarily occupied by the Zionists. Hamas is trying to bring it back with the help of attacks by armed groups and rocket attacks, in response to which Israel imposed a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip on land, on water and in the air.
Now you can legally enter the Gaza Strip through two checkpoints: Erez on the northern border with Israel and Rafah on the southern border with Egypt. Illegally - through a huge number of tunnels passing under land borders.
Most of what is needed for both civilian and military purposes enters Gaza through underground tunnels on the border with Egypt. Some of them are so large that even cars were driven over them.
The blockade of the Gaza Strip is not organized by Israel out of a sense of righteous revenge, but to deprive Hamas of the opportunity to arm itself. Therefore, all goods that are imported into the Gaza Strip are strictly controlled. Everything that can be used for the manufacture of weapons and the construction of military facilities is either banned from import at all, or is supplied in limited quantities under the control of international organizations. This list includes, for example, building materials, certain types of medicines, consumer electronics and even individual food products: chocolate, juices and tomato paste - the list of prohibited products has changed several times during the blockade.
Therefore, most of what is needed for both civilian and military purposes enters Gaza through underground tunnels on the border with Egypt. Some of them are so large that even cars were driven over them. Similar underground passages also lead towards Israel, but they are used for attacks by armed groups.
However, the new Egyptian President Al-Sisi, unlike his predecessor, is extremely hostile towards the Islamists and therefore began to fight against the tunnels. First, a buffer zone was set up in the border area of Egypt so that the entrance to the tunnel could not be disguised as a residential building, and in September last year, the Egyptians simply began to flood their entire border with Palestine with water in order to collapse all the secret passages.
If the situation with access points is clear, then with the permissions necessary for entry, everything is not so clear. The Gaza Strip is still not a popular tourist destination, all the information about which can be found by looking at TripAdvisor. The Palestinian embassy assured me that entry into the Gaza Strip was free, and only Israel and Egypt were blockade, that is, if I managed to get a pass from them, then I could enter without any obstacles.
An important nuance was that diplomatic relations are being conducted with the capital of Palestine, Ramallah, located on the West Bank, that is, they are not particularly responsible for the Gaza Strip, but I reassured myself that they should at least be aware of the situation and told me the truth .
It remained to choose which of the two - Israel or Egypt - to apply for permission. The choice fell on the Israelis, because the procedure for obtaining them was much more transparent. In addition, to travel to Egypt, I would need a visa, and the road would pass through the Sinai Peninsula, where recently it has not been very calm due to the activity of Islamists. In addition, Erez worked stably, and Rafah either suddenly opened for a couple of days, or no less suddenly stopped working for a couple of months, which threatened to get stuck in Gaza.
Get inside
The bus takes me to the nearest intersection to the checkpoint. There is no regular transport to the Gaza Strip due to low demand, except that a couple of buses a day go to kibbutzim - agricultural villages - located near the border. The last kilometers of the Israeli route rest against a wall, above which a balloon with a video surveillance camera soars. Far behind the wall are the silhouettes of Arab houses. When you see this picture, you immediately understand why this territory was awarded the nickname "the largest prison in the world."
Are you Palestinian? is the first question I get asked as soon as I enter the building of the Israeli checkpoint terminal.
No, I answer, and I am directed to the passport control window for foreigners.
At the other end of the hall is a baggage screening tape with x-rays. Near her stands an Arab who answered the same question in the affirmative. He is in a far less privileged position than I am, and his suitcase is scrutinized, taking out and scrutinizing every item he brings home.
A local family is hanging around. A woman of Slavic appearance scolds in Russian an Arab of the same age, most likely her husband. He obediently mutters something under his breath, and a minute later they take their bags and, in the company of a couple of swarthy children, go to passport control. I'm wearing a T-shirt soaked with sweat, while the whole family is dressed in winter coats.
I handed the documents to the passport control window.
Can you stamp your passport?
The usual practice for Israel is to put entry and exit stamps not in the passport, but on a separate sheet of paper, so that the passport holder would later have no problems visiting Iran, Lebanon and other states hostile to Israel.
Oh sure. Bet - it's cool that I will have a stamp that no one else has. Stop though! This is wild fawn! - No no! Let's get on paper, please!
The wall stays behind me and I enter a corridor leading to the Palestinian side. Through the fence, I see how, on one side, a boy in a keffiyeh drives a herd of sheep with a stick, and on the other, an Arab rides a cart drawn by a donkey. Near the checkpoint there are concrete blocks on which the flag of Palestine is painted with paint, several dozen chairs under a canopy for citizens crossing the border, and a couple of kiosk-like rooms where representatives of the Palestinian authorities sit. When you compare the picture on the Arab side with a huge Israeli terminal of glass and concrete, stuffed with the most modern means of control, it seems that the wall between Israel and the Gaza Strip separates not only two states, but also two civilizations, like a border between Wellsian Eloi and Morlocks.
I hold out my passport through the window.
First time with us?
Welcome to Gaza.
A local Arab signs me into a taxi, and we drive towards the gray silhouettes of the Gaz houses.
What's this? Another control? - the taxi suddenly stops near the iron gate.
Yes. But don't worry, this is the last one.
I hold out my passport through the window. I'm being asked for a letter from a local sponsor, which I don't know about at all. It turns out that the embassy misinformed and, in addition to the Israeli permit, a Hamas one is also needed. They suggest calling the Ministry of Internal Affairs and finding out everything. Another hour is spent trying to settle everything on the spot, in the hope that thanks to the Middle East mess, the situation can still be resolved without leaving the cash register. I give up when it's time for the checkpoint to close and head back to Israel.
On the Israeli side, they give me an entry stamp on the same piece of paper saying that I can spend another 90 days in Israel. It was probably the most unusual visa run in the world.
In the Gaza Strip, you just pay money and no one will even try to Google your name to see if you libel Hamas anywhere.
The next two weeks were like a linear computer quest, when at some stage of the game you get stuck and, out of desperation, you just start to put all the available items into all available places.
As it turned out, only specially accredited organizations issue permission to journalists. It wasn't hard to find a couple of them on Google. The problem was that they categorically refused to do only permission, and offered the services of a fixer, a translator, a computer for rent and a bunch of other unnecessary things. For an additional fee, of course.
Trying to communicate directly with the Gaza Strip authorities who are responsible for my question turned out to be quite a bit of fun. For example, you find the website of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which has a couple of contact numbers - one of them lacks a number, and on the second a female voice answers: “This is my personal number, and I have not worked for the Ministry of Internal Affairs for a long time.” But even after the contacts of the necessary powerful Palestinians were found, the answer was the same: contact organizations accredited to work with journalists. It was some ridiculous mix of Middle Eastern mess, police state, and greedy business.
The procedure for obtaining journalistic accreditation for Israel and the Gaza Strip shows the gulf between the states no worse than the architectural ensembles on both sides of the separation wall. The Israelis have a strict and transparent scheme: you pay a small amount of money, fill out a detailed questionnaire, sign your agreement to the terms of work and send examples of your materials. In the Gaza Strip, you just pay money and no one will even try to Google your name to see if you're posting libels on Hamas somewhere. A few weeks after my visit, there was a big scandal in the Gaza Strip due to the fact that an Israeli journalist was accredited by the Irish media and entered Arab territory.
Behind the fence
The regular bus brought me to an already familiar intersection a couple of kilometers from the checkpoint. I raise my hand, and almost immediately a passing car stops.
Are you in Gaza? - the too quick-witted driver asks me as soon as I sit in the seat and buckle up. I nod affirmatively.
In those ten minutes drive that separates us from the Gaza Strip, it turns out that he lives in a kibbutz right near the border:
You see a green container over there, - the driver points towards the dividing wall. - And to the right of it is my house.
Isn't it scary to live here?
Well, what can you do ... We were just unlucky with the neighbors, - he smiles, shrugs his shoulders and adds after a pause: - Although ordinary people from that side are also sorry. They suffer a lot.
The procedure for crossing the border is already familiar. Checking documents on the Israeli side. Checking documents on the Palestinian side. The taxi takes me through the buffer zone to the second Palestinian checkpoint, where a local guide is already waiting for me. This time everything goes much faster: passport control, a backpack for x-rays, Hamas people smile friendly - I'm in the Gaza Strip.
Considering that the Gaza Strip is quite a police state, from the trip I expected something similar to the description of excursions in North Korea: a strictly planned route, conversations only with certain people and not the slightest deviation from the scheme. In fact, I felt much freer both in terms of choosing people to communicate with and in terms of choosing places to visit. The only territorial limitation for me was the border zone in the south, where there were - and most likely still exist - tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Visiting this area required additional permission.
I was also strongly advised not to go unaccompanied, so as not to inadvertently photograph some secret army facility and not earn problems with Hamas because of this - there is a permanent war going on here and any ordinary-looking barn can be used for military purposes.
The fact that the Gaza Strip is not a tourist destination does not negate the presence of hotels here. Including quite expensive ones. However, your choice of places to stay for the night will be limited only to special hotels for foreigners. Allegedly, again, only for your safety. This rule came into effect in 2011 after a group of armed Islamists kidnapped an Italian political activist. In general, such incidents do not happen very often here: two previous abductions of Europeans occurred in 2006 and 2007. However, both of them ended with the release of the hostages, while the Italian was killed even before the expiration of the term appointed by the kidnappers. Moreover, the kidnapped was a member of the pro-Palestinian movement, so his murder caused a negative reaction both among ordinary Arabs and among the authorities of the Gaza Strip.
Downtown Gaza, which is the capital of the Gaza Strip, looks pretty good. By Palestinian standards, even quite clean and well maintained. There is a sea and even a beach with a promenade. Everyone is smiling and enjoying life.
Of course, it does not do without the traditional Middle Eastern chaos. The achievements of modern urbanism will reach here for a long time to come.
If you take news reports from this region to heart, then you can decide that Gaza is some kind of post-apocalyptic place, where the sun is obscured by Israeli and Hamas rockets flying back and forth, and among the ruins of houses here and there lie Arab children dying from the lack of food and medicine, which Israel does not allow to be brought here. This, of course, is not entirely true. In peacetime, Gaza looks pretty good. The problem is that “peacetime” is a rather arbitrary concept here. Although the last major war ended two years ago, rocket attacks happen every few weeks.
The abundance of Hamas propaganda billboards is striking. There is enough political agitation in the West Bank, too, but Gaza is definitely ahead here both in terms of the scale of the canvases, and in their number, and in content: Hamas propaganda requires even knives and stones to destroy the enemy.
But not with stones and knives alone. The hallmark of Hamas is the Qassam, an unguided surface-to-surface missile. Since they are made in a handicraft way from what they manage to smuggle into the Gaza Strip, sometimes it not only does not hit the target, but does not even reach the distance it is supposed to. Therefore, such attacks do more harm not to the IDF, but to the civilian population of Israel. Although often civilians are the main target.
Since Israel is not only disliked by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, other organizations also have their own no less handicraft models of rockets that are launched towards the northeastern neighbors. But the name "Kassam" has become quite an eponym - like "copier" or "pampers".
One of the Qassam models even has a monument erected in the center of Gaza. In 2012, this rocket was launched at Tel Aviv. The number 75 in the title refers to the flight range in kilometers, and the letter M appeared in memory of Ibrahim al-Makadmeh, one of the Hamas leaders killed by Israel.
But even in peacetime and despite the palm trees, the sea and the warm climate, Gaza is unlikely to be a place where you want to live. Electricity in the houses of residents is at best eight hours a day, and usually no more than four. Therefore, if you are not the happy owner of solar panels or a fuel generator - and with gas salaries, all this applies to luxury goods - then all your plans will have to be brought into line with the electricity supply schedule.
One of the works was a portrait of the weeping ancient Greek goddess Niobe on the door of a ruined house. A couple of months later, the owner of the house, who had no idea who Banksy was, sold the door for just $175 to people more knowledgeable in contemporary art. Later, the unfortunate Arab found out how much one could actually get out of this door, was very upset and even tried to contact the police with a request to return his property to him.
On the wall left from one of the houses after the Israeli army airstrikes, Banksy painted a kitten playing with a ball of thread, which was played by a pile of rebar lying on the ground. “I want to post pictures on my website so that everyone can see the devastation in Gaza, but on the Internet, people only look at pictures of cats,” the author commented on the graffiti. The wall with the drawing was destroyed when they began to restore houses in the area. A "ball" of rebar is all that remains of Banksy's work.
The second time I leave Gaza even later. Even the greedy taxi drivers attacking those entering with offers to go anywhere in Israel have already fled. I go to the highway and in about five minutes I stop the car from that very kibbutz against the wall. The driver is extremely surprised to find out where I have just been:
I didn't even know you could get there.
Can. But it's not very easy - now I can say for sure. - Do you live here?
No no. It's scary to live here. Therefore, I moved my family to the Tel Aviv area, and I come here only to work.
We are going north. I turn around and take one last look at the wall. I still feel like I've just finished watching a creepy and weird arthouse movie, the credits are already running across the screen, and I'm still under the impression and I can't return from the cinematic world to the real one. On this side of the wall is a very prosperous country economically. Having been born here, people receive a passport with which they can travel almost all over the world, except perhaps for a dozen enemy countries. If you were not lucky enough to be born on the other side of the border, then most likely you will work all your life for a pittance. Unless, of course, you find a job, because there are too many people and too few opportunities. The document that your not quite state will give you will make others see you as a potential refugee, terrorist and God knows who else. But this is only if you are lucky enough to leave the Gaza Strip at least for a while. Because most of those almost two million people who inhabit a piece of land the size of a small city will never leave its perimeter in their lives and will not know that there are places where society is arranged completely differently.
The Arabs of Gaza (Palestinian is a fictional nationality after 1967) even got along pretty well. They live just as well as oil-rich Azerbaijan, which is one position higher and unequivocally, the Arabs of Gaza live much better than their brothers in Syria (before the war - approx. Grimnir), Algeria and Egypt, who constantly call for release " gas workers" from the occupation..
It’s time for them to write letters to the Knesset themselves, pleading for Israel to occupy their own territories…
In the meantime, let's take a short tour, Arab photographers have already prepared to show off their "occupied" city:
Panoramic photos, so to speak ... (in a selection of photos of different sizes.).
Show me traces of occupation and blockade... 
And this is a view of Gaza from the sea ...
As we can see, many "blockade" have their own yachts ...
A cozy restaurant, right on the shore, where the "starving" city admires the sunset ...
Let's not forget that the city is located in the desert, but there is greenery all around ...
A view of the bay, where every morning exhausted, ragged, hungry children come to meet Turkish ships carrying, in addition to food, also cement for the construction of ... houses, because the city was wiped off the face of the earth by the damned Zionists ...
This is what Gaza looks like at night.
After constant rallies against the occupation, the gas workers simply need to relax in the cool, on the seashore, in a cozy restaurant, starve while looking at the menu ...
Hungry fishermen cut through the free gasoline provided by the occupiers along the coastline, on which expensive houses stand ... By the way, no housing offices or cooperatives, everything is privately owned ...
What does it mean a house in private ownership is not necessary to explain?
And it was an “occupational” bomb that fell into the park, now a holy spring is beating right out of the ground ...
One of the streets... With magnificent houses…
And this is the hospital of the Red Crescent ... A miserable medical assistant's station, like in some Siberian town a thousand miles from the railway ...
Here I would like to make a small digression... And how many Russians, who tirelessly curse the Israeli military, the Zionist occupiers, demand to lift the blockade from Gaza, have something like this housing?
After all, driving a hundred kilometers from Moscow or St. Petersburg can generally get stuck, because there are no roads at all and people live in barracks, maybe the Russians will stop looking at what is happening thousands of kilometers away from them, not demanding, calling names and threatening Jews, but rather demand from their government that they live, as in the "blockade" Gaza?
Come out to Red Square, and not to the Israeli embassy and wear slogans there: “I want to live., As in besieged Gaza!”
During the Zionist blockade, every Arab has the opportunity to play in the stadium .. Take a break from malnutrition and life in communal apartments, Khrushchev, barracks and sheds ...
Well, when something happens, when the finger hurts from the fact that many times the Kalasha trigger was pressed, when diarrhea, and when scrofula, every Arab will end up in such a modern hospital, where doctors educated at European universities will definitely help him ...
Under one of these clinics, the leadership of Hamas is constantly hiding, afraid of being destroyed by the Israelis...
Speaking of doctors from European countries…
Why do you think they go there and who exactly goes there?
Once upon a time, my colleague Berge Mevoldo received an interesting job offer in Darfur with a very high salary, but he politely refused, so he told me who exactly was going to work as doctors, for some reason we were talking about doctors traveling to work in Africa, in “occupied” Gaza… Those who did not find work in their homeland go… Berhe smiled slyly and asked: “Can you imagine a good doctor not finding a job in Germany, France or the States? A good doctor does not need to go anywhere. A good doctor at home will earn a lot, he does not need handouts from any humanitarian organizations, even very large ones ....”
Well, we continue our journey through Gaza, since Arab photographers have directly hired to dispel our ideas about such concepts as "occupation" or "blockade". 
And even they have factories, probably working ...
A small square with a monument to one of the many martyrs who blew up a bus or bus stop in Israel…
Another restaurant where the inhabitants of the occupied city indulge in dreams of freedom...
Arabs, dreaming of freedom, fall into a depressed state and move away from the world to mourn in such villas, swim in their own pool ... Sit on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, listen to the sound of the surf ...
The fate of a real blockade is heavy ...
And here is the bus station… blockade survivors ride in buses with villour seats and air conditioners… Because it’s simply impossible to do otherwise… It’s hot, it’s understandable If there is no air conditioner, then those who in Russia drank all the water in the tap will be to blame for this …
There are still signs of occupation, take a closer look. See? The tower, as in the USSR, in the camps ... There, for sure, a khamasyatnik sits in the city guarding, like a guard of the zone ...
Well, here, for sure, is a school, in the basement of which there is a workshop for the production of shahid belts or rockets, with which they fire at the “occupiers” every now and then in gratitude for tens of thousands of tons of free cargo……
Our tour, alas, has come to an end, but I think we will turn to the topic of life in the “occupied territories” more than once
With my own eyesHost: Sergey Buntman
Guest: Nazar Aliyan
journalist of RIA Novosti news agency, resident of the Gaza Strip
Tuesday, 31 July 2007
SERGEY BUNTMAN: Well, then. We are starting the program "With Your Own Eyes". Our colleague, RIA Novosti journalist Nazar Alian is our guest. Hello.
ALIAN NAZAR: Hello.
S. BUNTMAN: And today we want to talk about how they were evacuated from the Gaza Strip. Here you tell everything from the very beginning. Why were you there and how did it happen. We know how the need for evacuation arose. And also from the outside… Well, by the way, not only from the outside. We contacted by phone and there were many people who could tell us how, really, how the objects of evacuation were, and how the objects that organized it. And all the time we contacted diplomats. Well, tell your own story. How did this happen and what are your observations?
N. ALIAN: You know, I worked for 7 years as a correspondent and producer for many Russian media in Gaza. And I saw and witnessed very difficult situations, events that took place there in the Gaza Strip. Well, the hardest part was the last time the situation became life-threatening.
S. BUNTMAN: And what exactly did that mean?
N. ALIAN: Specifically, when the skirmishes started... First there were skirmishes between Hamas and Fatah. Hamas won the elections. And Fatah, who held power until that time. And these skirmishes turned into something very similar to a civil war. It was impossible to move around the city, move around, skirmishes, armed people were on the roofs of all high buildings. These are usually the tallest buildings in Gaza City. In the prestigious areas of this city, shooting is everywhere.
S. BUNTMAN: I.e. can be accessed by anyone.
N. ALIAN: Yes, yes. They participate in these skirmishes. And it was when I worked, for example, in particular, I got into shootings very often. And there was a case when I accompanied the NTV film crew, with me was and Vyacheslav Spiridonov. This is a correspondent and operator of the NTV television company. When militants from Hamas fired at us at point-blank range, referring to the fact that they simply did not recognize us. And when…
S. BUNTMAN: What do you mean, they didn't find out?
N. ALIAN: Although we were driving a taxi, on which it was painted, TV was written and the press, but they did not believe, and they told us where to go, get out of the car with our hands up, against the wall, well, in short, we were saved by that we had press cards with us. Moreover, Russian press cards. When they found out that they were foreign journalists, they let us go. But it was our happiness. They could hit us. Well, it could have been a lot worse than what happened.
S. BUNTMAN: Tell me, this is the question. What is your nationality?
N. ALIAN: I have dual citizenship. I have both Russian citizenship and Palestinian citizenship.
S. BUNTMAN: Both Russian and Palestinian. Those. You have documents, and a passport, and one and the other.
N. ALIAN: Yes, yes.
S. BUNTMAN: Well, look. A situation is being created. There is indeed a civil war in the literal sense. Journalists, not only journalists, are caught between two fires. Or were such actions only on the part of Hamas?
N. ALIAN: No, of course, the actions were not only on the part of Hamas. But also from Fatah. But both sides were involved. There was a struggle for power, but who will own this power. Hamas or Fatah. In fact, Fatah was in power. And Hamas demanded this power. When the Hamas failed, as they believe, to peacefully seize this power, which they believe they have every right to it, then they decided to simply seize it by force. And so they acted brutally, that there was a lot of massacre. For example, they killed people in hospitals on the operating table. They threw people out of buildings. But a lot of violations were also committed on the other side. They also shot at two journalists. Also on the street, who simply because they worked in a newspaper that belongs to Hamas.
S. BUNTMAN: I.e. the status of a journalist has already become nothing, right?
N. ALIAN: No, nothing, and the status of a journalist is not respected at all. And even in peacetime, this status was not respected there.
S. BUNTMAN: Well, here's the situation. When the situation became unbearable and now the only way out, and was evacuation the only way out?
N. ALIAN: You know how. I was very well known in the Russian embassy in Tel Aviv, and in the Russian representation in Ramal, in the West Bank. And Nastya Fedorova contacted me, this is an assistant to the consul, or an adviser to the embassy. She asked me to simply organize the evacuation of Russian citizens from the Gaza Strip, if possible. I called people, people who just want to evacuate. There were very problems, a lot of families who did not dare to this evacuation. Because either the husband does not have Russian citizenship. If the husband does not have Russian citizenship, then he will not be evacuated. There have been cases when the Israelis did not give permission to some Palestinians who have Russian citizenship. And then the whole family stayed there in Gaza. Not everyone who wanted to evacuate was able to evacuate this time. Although it was the second call of the evacuation. But a lot of people remained there in obscurity. Because the situation there, even now, seems calm, they don’t shoot in the streets, there are no armed formations on the barricades in the streets. But the tension remains, and any clashes may break out at any moment, because the people from Fatah are still there.
S. BUNTMAN: Well, of course, the situation is far from peaceful. When you say that you got in touch and were given such an opportunity, everything went smoothly for you, or there was a moment when… What was the most difficult moment?
N. ALIAN: Do you mean evacuations?
S. BUNTMAN: Yes, evacuations and previous events. If maybe this is the most difficult moment, except for the fact that they already took you out of the cars with our friend and colleague.
N. ALIAN: They took us out of the cars when we were working. No one thought about evacuation ...
S. BUNTMAN: Well, this is a harsh, difficult moment.
N. ALIAN: Yes, it was generally a fatal case. We just by the grace of God just got saved that day. As for the evacuation, I was very worried and knew that someone would not be able to simply evacuate. And I was afraid that at the last moment, maybe the new authorities, represented by Hamas now, might block this evacuation. Those. do not allow buses with Russian citizens to cross the border, i.e. A checkpoint to head to Israel, then to Jordan to get to Moscow from there. Well, thank God it went very smoothly. There were no such obstacles. And although everyone had a fear that, perhaps, one of the Hamas members would interfere with this evacuation, namely the second evacuation.
S. BUNTMAN: Have there been cases in your memory, or before your eyes, were there cases when they interfered, or, for example, sent home. They told me, really, I don’t know if it’s true or not, just terrible cases that could just happen among those waiting. The Hamas people could pull out a man without a beard. For example, I look at you and think.
N. ALIAN: You know, there were a lot of cases…
S. BUNTMAN: Just why I say, I see you do not wear a beard.
N. ALIAN: Yes. No, of course, everyone knows us, many people know that I represent which news agency. So I might have been spared. But perhaps others would not have been spared. The issue here is not whether you have a beard or not. And the problems were that these and others had wanted lists. Those. if they just looked at your face and thought, or there they had a doubt that you look like someone, they can take you away for 2-3-4 nights. Well, maybe for 10 minutes, when they shoot, and by mistake they say yes ...
S. BUNTMAN: We misunderstood.
N. ALIAN: We misunderstood. And there were cases. I want to remind you that there were these cases on both sides. I'm not saying that the people who were before were better, no. Maybe they were more democratic, were…
S. BUNTMAN: Do you mean Fatah?
N. ALIAN: Yes. More secular. But violations, I mean, during this period, during the skirmishes, there were a lot of violations from Fatah and from Hamas. Of course, there were more from Hamas.
S. BUNTMAN: Well, everything went smoothly for you, as you say?
N. ALIAN: As for the evacuation, it was smooth, yes.
S. BUNTMAN: Tell me, please, I received a very strange message here. Although it is cut off, I want to quote it. And to advise everyone who writes via the Internet, send a little bit shorter, or send in several parts. Because sometimes it is interrupted at the most important place. Two weeks ago, a person writes to us, I am a video operator by profession, I witnessed the last export of Russian refugees from Gaza. Of the 37 citizens of Russia, there were real Russians ... Well, further, logically, you can understand that not all of them. It just breaks off here. I do not know with what feelings our subscriber writes from the Internet. But the fact that under this pretext, maybe someone extra was taken out, I don’t know.
N. ALIAN: No, that's right, there were many citizens of Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus. And Palestinians of Russian citizenship. But most of them were Russians, actually. So maybe the person who wrote this just didn't have the right information.
S. BUNTMAN: And maybe I'm also impressed.
N. ALIAN: Well, maybe.
S. BUNTMAN: Maybe I didn't recognize how those people who stopped you.
N. ALIAN: Maybe. And if he believes that I, for example, am a Russian of Palestinian origin, but my children and my wife, probably, if he also considers them not Russians, maybe. It may well be.
S. BUNTMAN: Well, as you imagine, there is a different attitude here. By the way, about relationships. Asking for forgiveness for some reason for this question, Alexander Ilyich sent us a text message from Samara. He says: excuse me, what is your personal attitude towards Israel?
N. ALIAN: Well, what can I say. This question is completely off topic. I don't know how to answer this question. I am for the fact that we live in two equivalent states. So that they have an independent state, and we have an independent state. But I want to remind you that Israel's share in this conflict was very large. Because Israel did not allow Mahmoud Abbas to deploy in Gaza, did not allow him to acquire new weapons there. And the result was visible that Hamas was much stronger and much better armed. What about my personal attitude towards Israel? Well, I'm fine with Israel. I also want the Israelis to have a normal attitude towards us, the Palestinians.
S. BUNTMAN: I.e. You are for what they called in Soviet times, for peaceful coexistence.
N. ALIAN: Well, of course. I'm a socialite, after all.
S. BUNTMAN: Speaking of secularism. Here is the question. Tell me, please, here they ask by SMS. Who is Hamas? Sunnis or Shiites? Is there a religious component?
N. ALIAN: No, there are no Shiites in Palestine. It's just that people confuse that there are Shiites in Hamas, because basically Hamas supports Iran. Or let's say the biggest sponsor for Hamas is Iran. Accordingly, the Iranians are mostly Shiites. No, this is a mistake. There are no Shiites in Palestine at all. Maybe 2-3, maybe no more than 10 people Shiite community.
S. BUNTMAN: I.e. if I understand the meaning of the question correctly, is there no intra-Islamic conflict between Hamas and Fatah?
N. ALIAN: No.
S. BUNTMAN: Precisely religious.
N. ALIAN: I know many families in which one brother is a fathist, the second is from Hamas and the third is in Islamic Jihad, the fourth is a communist. No, no, it's all the same.
S. BUNTMAN: I would like to go back one, two, three steps. In general, what is life in the Gaza Strip? What do people mostly live on? How do they earn their livelihood? Where do they work? What are people doing? What role does aid play, the distribution of aid, and what would be the next question, what, in your opinion, Hamas came up with, having received democratic, by the way, having received votes.
N. ALIAN: This is perhaps the most difficult question to answer. How can people survive in Gaza. Indeed, in Gaza it is very difficult, very difficult. It is impossible for a normal person to live there. Because every minute you expect something new. Death on the streets, or you can get a bullet from a Hamas or a Fatahist, or from some, for example, a person who joyfully, for example, shoots in the air, shoots at random, or different something, or someone on wedding shoots. And Israel also does not leave Gaza aside and constantly attacks and constantly attacks militants from radical organizations. Living in Gaza, I think it's impossible. Impossible if you know how to live differently. There are more funds in Gaza than... How strange that is. People in Gaza are paid better than in Jordan, or in Egypt, or in Algeria, for example. Food is more than in these, for example, listed countries. But that's not all. In Gaza...
S. BUNTMAN: And how do they get more?
N. ALIAN: There is no security in Gaza. Here's the most important thing. For example, I am walking down the street in Gaza. I just don't know when it might happen that someone shoots me, because for no reason it can happen.
S. BUNTMAN: I.e. constant anxiety?
N. ALIAN: Anxiety.
S. BUNTMAN: You constantly feel like you're on guard.
N. ALIAN: Yes. In Gaza, it is best to stay at home. Or at work. And walking down the street...
S. BUNTMAN: And what is work? And what do people do in general?
N. ALIAN: Now, of course, the majority of the population does not work, because there was an order from the Palestinian authorities, an order from Chairman President Abbas, that no one should go to work, and at the same time they would receive their salary. In general, people worked like in any other city. For example, and builders... And at factories, and at factories. There is also why Gaza is not like that ... Gaza in general, if you look at it normally, it is a civilized city in general. But whoever lives there in Gaza may not want to live in a civilized way like the rest of the world. Those. we do not lag behind, for example, in engineering, technology from other cities. For example, in Moscow… I don't know Moscow. And in Volgograd, I find it difficult to find an Internet cafe, but in Gaza there are on every corner, at every step. In Gaza, equipment, for example, office equipment, is much better than in Russia, much cheaper than here. So Gaza cannot be considered an uncivilized city.
S. BUNTMAN: The real question is, how do people live, how do they survive? Just in this.
N. ALIAN: Yes, people survive, they don't live. They survive.
S. BUNTMAN: This is it. And then there are office equipment and many things that they become, maybe some additional decorations for this state. That's when there is no inner sense of security.
N. ALIAN: People sometimes forget that it is safe to be in this or that region, or on this or that street, because danger is everywhere. Those. you go in a taxi, or like here, say, in a minibus, but you don’t know what kind of passenger is next to you. Maybe this is a passenger wanted by Israel...
S. BUNTMAN: And it will start now, right?
N. ALIAN: And in which the rocket is directed. And you will immediately become a suicide bomber.
S. BUNTMAN: The question is the one that was asked here via SMS. A question from Alla from Moscow: "Are you okay with your family here? We wish the conflict to be peacefully resolved." Here is a wish.
N. ALIAN: I haven't got a job yet. Of course, I rested in the country for 2 weeks with my family. And I have now come to Moscow to settle down. I have a suggestion. I don’t know, maybe it will turn out that I stay here in Moscow and work here in Moscow. I'll probably have enough of Gaza.
S. BUNTMAN: Well, of course. And tell us, here Mikhail from St. Petersburg asks us: "And what threatens the Russians who could not leave?"
N. ALIAN: Yes, no. As long as nothing threatens them. I don’t think that there is a danger now for the Russians who stayed there in Gaza, but simply uncertainty, a sense of guilt, perhaps in front of their children, their family, that this opportunity, which was there, may not happen again. There is such a thing. And I think that the Russian embassy in Tel Aviv will have to organize another evacuation.
S. BUNTMAN: At least one more, at least. Phone 363-36-59. And we listen to your calls. Hello, good evening.
LISTENER: Good evening.
LISTENER: I turned it off. My name is Alexander, I'm from Moscow. This is a question for your guest: tell me, now you have listed the material situation of people in Gaza better than those countries that surround it. The same Egypt, Algeria, Jordan. And due to what a rather isolated territory, due to which such incomes then such a situation of people.
S. BUNTMAN: Thank you. Understandable question.
N. ALIAN: Firstly, the salary in Gaza is very high, if compared with other states that border Palestine, say, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, well, and other states. This is due to assistance from the EEC, which have established, these EEC countries have set wages in Gaza so that the minimum wage is at least $350 per family. And, as a rule, well, Gaza is an Arab country and there are big families. It happens that 2-3 people work in the family and the income can reach up to $ 2000 ...
S. BUNTMAN: For a family?
N. ALIAN: For the family.
S. BUNTMAN: Total family income.
N. ALIAN: Yes. Yes.
S. BUNTMAN: Tell me, the question is already from me. How controlled is the flow of funds from the EEC and whether humanitarian aid is getting through. And how is it controlled? In what ways?
N. ALIAN: You know, yes. Now it's under control. because every dollar that goes to Gaza has to go through American banks. Then it will go, if you can call it, to the treasury of the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian National Authority. And I understand your question, what will the Hamas people be able to receive?
S. BUNTMAN: Yes, by the way, there was a question.
N. ALIAN: Well, I don't think they can get any help indirectly or directly from the EEC or other Western countries. Hamas, as a rule, are sponsored by relations with Iran, Syria, and there is also the possibility of being funded through a society, which is usually located in the United States of America and Europe. And this, too, this path has also become difficult. Now Hamas is in a very difficult financial situation, if you can call it. And Hamas will not be able to contain...
S. BUNTMAN: Support yourself.
N. ALIAN: Not only self-sustaining, but supporting the state.
S. BUNTMAN: Actually a whole big state. Question by phone. Hello. Good evening. What is your name?
LISTENER: Good evening. Vyacheslav from Vladikavkaz. I wanted to ask our guest. And what does he think, does today's conflict have, there is no resolution? And in general, is this way possible today? This is, firstly, and secondly, if there is an opportunity, let him say whether this conflict, which is now taking place, can in any way affect the events that are now taking place in the North Caucasus?
S. BUNTMAN: I understand, thank you. Here is our listener from Vladikavkaz. Of course he is interested.
N. ALIAN: I will answer the first question. In general, there is a way out of this conflict. The way out is to sit down at the negotiating table and agree. Although Mahmoud Abbas, the chairman of the Palestinian national administration, rejects and categorically does not want to sit with Hamas in the country, but I think that there is no other way out yet. Because Hamas... in the hands of Hamas power. And they can hold this power as long as they want. If you want to take away or return this power from them, you can only take this step. Just sit down at the negotiating table and negotiate with them. And there is another, for example, a way that is unpopular, to call in some kind of force, say, UN troops. Well, I don't think it's feasible. I don't think Israel will climb either. Therefore, the only way to resolve the conflict at the moment is an agreement and dialogue between Hamas and Fatah. In answer to your second question, I do not think that the events that are taking place in Palestine have an effect or influence on what is happening in the North Caucasus. I understood from your question that you mean Chechnya.
S. BUNTMAN: Well, not only. Now in several republics of the North Caucasus, the situation is rather alarming. In the same Ingushetia, for example.
N. ALIAN: Maybe, but again I blame Iran for the conflict that is taking place here in Gaza. Neither Hamas nor Fatah are to blame for this conflict. And if Iran wants and can arrange a performance for you too ...
S. BUNTMAN: Do you think that Iran, of its own free will, Iran can push things together in its own interests, it can start conflicts, it can arrange things.
N. ALIAN: Yes, now all attention is directed to Iran. Well, you understand. All this is interconnected. Iran wants to repel just Americans, or wants this attention not to go directly to Iran, but to have some…
S. BUNTMAN: Peripheral.
N. ALIAN: Yes, the peripheral conflict in Iraq, the conflict in Palestine, maybe the conflict in the North Caucasus. It won't hurt either.
S. BUNTMAN: Lena asks an interesting question. I remind you that Nazar Alian is our guest. Lena asks: "What is the situation in Gaza with children?" Can they learn? How do young people spend their time? What clothes do women wear? European or not? Good questions, then.
N. ALIAN: Well, children study normally. They go to school, they study.
S. BUNTMAN: Are there enough schools? Are there enough teachers?
N. ALIAN: In Gaza, oddly enough, there are a lot of schools. And there are very different schools. And public schools, and schools at the UN, and schools from Christian societies. There are a lot of schools there. So we have no problem with that.
S. BUNTMAN: Until what age can children study there freely? How many are there in our classes? Until what years?
N. ALIAN: In general, everyone should complete 6 years of education. This is mandatory. Well, we also study at school, as a rule, you have to finish 12 classes at school. And there the program is much stronger and stronger than in Russia. Because there really is. Universities are also very good in Gaza.
S. BUNTMAN: There are universities in Gaza...
N. ALIAN: There are five universities in Gaza. The largest Islamic university is the Pro-Hamas University. He is not only the largest, he is the best ...
S. BUNTMAN: What kind of education does he provide? Islamic University? It immediately appears to be purely religious. Kind of like the Taliban.
N. ALIAN: No, of course, all this is also interconnected. But you can study there to be a doctor, and an engineer, and a physicist, well, a psychologist. It gives different education.
S. BUNTMAN: Are diplomas recognized internationally?
N. ALIAN: Of course, he works according to the American system. So you can transfer directly from an Islamic university to an American university, or to the Philippines, or wherever there is an American system. So they have a very strong education there. And there are no problems with education. But the fact that the students are already involved in politics. Those. There are two universities in Gaza that are in the neighborhood. Islamic University…
S. BUNTMAN: Here is the one you were talking about.
N. ALIAN: Yes. And Alashar University. As a rule, an Islamic university is a pro-Hamas university. And Alashar is a Pro-Fath University. And constantly students either fight or swear.
S. BUNTMAN: And what happened right now during the conflict?
N. ALIAN: During the conflict, there were… audiences were burned there.
S. BUNTMAN: Harsh.
N. ALIAN: Yes, in Islamic. And at Alashar University there too.
N. ALIAN: Unemployment in Gaza reaches 60% in general.
S. BUNTMAN: How about among young people?
N. ALIAN: There are more of them, of course, among young people. Because now there is no work in Gaza. But there are a lot of Western humanitarian programs, let's say, which are organized by the Western countries of Europe and America, and Japan. Who organize there three-month earnings for young people with good pay, for example. They pay $25 per day. This is also solid, say, for a young man who does not have a job.
S. BUNTMAN: I understand. And how women walk.
N. ALIAN: Women still go around mostly in Islamic clothes. And before the events that took place here ...
S. BUNTMAN: I.e. Has Hamas introduced some stricter rules?
N. ALIAN: No. There are women who walk in a European way. My wife went there without a headscarf. Normally, I dressed like everyone else dresses. But again, not in shorts, not in a bathing suit, not ... You understand, this is ...
S. BUNTMAN: But here's a headscarf, a hijab...
N. ALIAN: A hijab is one thing, a scarf is quite another.
S. BUNTMAN: What about a scarf?
N. ALIAN: A scarf is just a scarf on the head.
S. BUNTMAN: Any headscarf that covers the face. Well, the one that covers the hair.
N. ALIAN: The one that covers the hair is a scarf.
S. BUNTMAN: And the hijab?
N. ALIAN: Hijab is what you call a veil.
S. BUNTMAN: When the face is closed, and only the eyes remain. It's clear. Those. walks in a headscarf, and this is how we see Islamic women in European cities, here they go in a headscarf. But this is not a public opinion so heavy, strict that a woman walks in just such a strict suit.
N. ALIAN: You know, in Gaza the authorities are stronger, let's say, the order, the eastern order. Those. communities. In Gaza, there are a lot of rules that one way or another, women, or any citizen must follow, must live by these rules. Because this is, after all, an Islamic country, or an Islamic land, where you can't, for example, be in shorts for women. Or even here, again, a man cannot walk down the street in shorts, if not an athlete. Or, for example, let's say a man with long hair, this is already the attention of people is already directed in his direction, why does he walk in this form. It was so, and it will be so as long as these communities exist, as long as these rules exist.
S. BUNTMAN: You know, I have this question right away. When we speak, here, by the way, we received several questions on SMS. That's when you talk about the state, you know what the constant conversation is about. Here on the basis of what internal structures. Well, let's suppose that the question is being decided that Palestine becomes a full-fledged, independent state. Based on what structures? Self-government? It may exist internally. I do not mean a formally existing government, a formally existing ministry, department, etc. After all, the state should have deep structures. How do you think, how in reality will he be able to build his independent life? Not on the same civil wars and not on humanitarian aid. Here is how it can be done? How do you see it?
N. ALIAN: There are ministries in Palestine, there is administration, as in any state. Is not different. Palestine lives entirely on aid. Not only European aid, but aid from Arab countries, Islamic countries. And the fact that in Palestine there is, for example, nickel, or gas, there is no such thing. If Palestine is left simply to survive as it is, then people will not be able to live simply. If the salary is not received...
S. BUNTMAN: So how can there be an independent state? That's what you think?
N. ALIAN: You know, not only Palestine receives aid. And Jordan is getting help too. Israel receives very good help from the United States of America and from Europe. I don't think the countries will leave Palestine in the lurch. So it was and so it will be. So if there are not enough people in Palestine, then a new war, then a new conflict. So, the impact on other countries, on the same Israel, and on Egypt and Jordan. So these people need to be kept. If it's rude, you can answer them so that they are silent.
S. BUNTMAN: For some reason, Nikolai Nikolayevich, our listener, was interested in the personal life of young, unmarried men. That's how they are... I don't know, Nikolai Nikolaevich, this is probably not the most important thing, but it's interesting.
N. ALIAN: I don't think it's so easy for them. Here is the answer...
S. BUNTMAN: Here, Nikolai Nikolaevich, I asked your question. Another question on the phone. Because not all the same to me to ask or not only with SMS. Good evening. What is your name?
LISTENER: Sergey, Moscow. I have a personal question for a guest. Here you perfectly understand what country you came to. We have in Russia. We have strangers being killed here. We are killing guest workers, Tajiks. You are not a Russian person, are you afraid to be in this country. And shouldn't you consider a more normal, civilized European country so that you can live and work comfortably there, because Russia is not a place where you can live normally.
S. BUNTMAN: I see. Thanks, Sergey. Only I prefer the name itself - in our country. If you are a citizen of Russia - I prefer in our country. So, in our country. Are you scared?
N. ALIAN: If I was not afraid to live in Palestine, I am not afraid to live here either. So every person has a destiny, if they kill me here, then my destiny ...
S. BUNTMAN: Are you such a fatalist? Then why was the evacuation necessary?
N. ALIAN: I don't know. Well, I don't think Russia is so scary. But yes, I understand, and there are guest workers, and there are ... In every country there are such people. A person can die in a plane crash, he can die, well, there are a lot of reasons for death. If they want to look for me, please, if someone needs me, my address is known.
S. BUNTMAN: I understand. But Sergei is not behind this. Asked a good question. Really. But I wanted to ask one more thing. Speaking of security, that's when you talked about it in the first part of our program. And the fact that a person cannot feel free, comfortable, because danger can come from any direction. Is there any addiction? You know, such a form, roughly speaking, of stupidity. We have already got used to it for many, many years, residents, we have got used to the fact that there can be danger from everywhere. They continue to live, go to shops, something about their business. Children play after all, this too. And addiction is a pretty scary thing. Is there such a thing in the sector?
N. ALIAN: Yes. In the Gaza Strip, you can get used to it very quickly. Unfortunately, you can get used to the worst, yes. I sometimes think that it is safer in Gaza, well, maybe it sometimes happens in my thoughts that it is safer than in Moscow. But when you come to your senses, and you just start talking to yourself. After all, it is impossible to live normally there, as in other cities of the world. Well I do not know. For now, it's impossible to live there. There is the same situation as in Somalia, or in Afghanistan. Or in Iraq. There is also a hot spot. And it stays hot there too.
S. BUNTMAN: So you named Iran as a quality, I also want to find out so that we do not leave, the question was not clear. They named Iran as the initiator of many things, many conflicts and such a distraction from themselves, as you said. Then it really turns out that the Americans are right, the Western Europeans who support them are right. That something Iran is some kind of country in general is dangerous.
N. ALIAN: Not only Iran. I mean, Iran supports this conflict that exists now. But the Americans are also interested in the continuation of the conflict in Iraq, for example, or in Lebanon. So maybe they share roles among themselves.
S. BUNTMAN: Voluntarily or involuntarily, they share or recognize this division.
N. ALIAN: But I am sure that the Iranians, of course, are involved in our conflict.
S. BUNTMAN: I understand. Unfortunately, it came very late from Vladislav from St. Petersburg. An important moment was when we talked about education, about upbringing. Is there such direct propaganda on the part of radical groups, do they work among children, adolescents, as far as you can see? I'm just asking for forgiveness. Literally a minute, if short. This is a very important question.
N. ALIAN: Yes, yes, yes. It existed, exists, and will exist.
S. BUNTMAN: All the time.
N. ALIAN: It was all the time.
S. BUNTMAN: They just walk around, and no one can stop them. No parents, no community.
N. ALIAN: No, it was still under Arafat and under Abbas. And now under the current government. So there was propaganda.
S. BUNTMAN: Thank you very much, Nazar Alian. Thank you, good luck to you and work to you and a happy life. And indeed, so that there would be fewer dangers and conflicts and the desire to kill each other among people. And thanks.
N. ALIAN: Please.
S. BUNTMAN: I was very glad to see you in our studio. And thank you for answering our listeners' questions.
N. ALIAN: Please.
Today I invite you to visit the city of Gaza, to look at it also through the eyes of Arab photographers, to make sure that the inhabitants of the so-called "occupied territory" even live well ...
Moreover, "occupied Gaza" is in the top 100 countries in terms of living standards. (information provided by a colleague a95t
) and occupy an honorable hundredth place . The Arabs of Gaza (Palestinian is a fictional nationality after 1967) even got along pretty well. They live just as well as oil-rich Azerbaijan, which is one position higher and unequivocally, the Arabs of Gaza live much better than their brothers in Syria, Algeria and Egypt, who constantly call for the release of "gas workers" from occupation ..
It’s time for them to write letters to the Knesset themselves, pleading for Israel to occupy their own territories…
In the meantime, let's take a short tour, Arab photographers have already prepared to show off their "occupied" city:
Panoramic photos, so to speak ... (in a selection of photos of different sizes.).
Show me traces of occupation and blockade... 
And this is a view of Gaza from the sea ...
As we can see, many "blockade" have their own yachts ...
A cozy restaurant, right on the shore, where the "starving" city admires the sunset ...
Let's not forget that the city is located in the desert, but there is greenery all around ...
A view of the bay, where every morning exhausted, ragged, hungry children come to meet Turkish ships carrying, in addition to food, also cement for the construction of ... houses, because the city was wiped off the face of the earth by the damned Zionists ...
This is what Gaza looks like at night. The Israelis will tell you how much gas workers pay for a kilowatt / hour of electricity, but probably it is free for them ...
After constant rallies against the occupation, the gas workers simply need to relax in the cool, on the seashore, in a cozy restaurant, starve while looking at the menu ...
Hungry fishermen cut through the free gasoline provided by the occupiers along the coastline, on which expensive houses stand ... By the way, no housing offices or cooperatives, everything is privately owned ...
What does it mean a house in private ownership is not necessary to explain?
And it was an “occupational” bomb that fell into the park, now a holy spring is beating right out of the ground ...
One of the streets... With magnificent houses…
And this is the hospital of the Red Crescent ... A miserable medical assistant's station, like in some Siberian town a thousand miles from the railway ...
Here I would like to make a small digression... And how many Russians, who tirelessly curse the Israeli military, the Zionist occupiers, demand to lift the blockade from Gaza, have something like this housing?
After all, driving a hundred kilometers from Moscow or St. Petersburg can generally get stuck, because there are no roads at all and people live in barracks, maybe the Russians will stop looking at what is happening thousands of kilometers away from them, not demanding, calling names and threatening Jews, but rather demand from their government that they live, as in the "blockade" Gaza?
Come out to Red Square, and not to the Israeli embassy and wear slogans there: “I want to live., As in besieged Gaza!”
During the Zionist blockade, every Arab has the opportunity to play in the stadium .. Take a break from malnutrition and life in communal apartments, Khrushchev, barracks and sheds ...
Well, when something happens, when the finger hurts from the fact that many times the Kalasha trigger was pressed, when diarrhea, and when scrofula, every Arab will end up in such a modern hospital, where doctors educated at European universities will definitely help him ...
Under one of these clinics, the leadership of Hamas is constantly hiding, afraid of being destroyed by the Israelis...
Speaking of doctors from European countries…
Why do you think they go there and who exactly goes there?
Once upon a time, my colleague Berge Mevoldo received an interesting job offer in Darfur with a very high salary, but he politely refused, so he told me who exactly was going to work as doctors, for some reason we were talking about doctors traveling to work in Africa, in “occupied” Gaza… Those who did not find work in their homeland go… Berhe smiled slyly and asked: “Can you imagine a good doctor not finding a job in Germany, France or the States? A good doctor does not need to go anywhere. A good doctor at home will earn a lot, he does not need handouts from any humanitarian organizations, even very large ones ....” You can read about the adventures of my colleague.
Well, we continue our journey through Gaza, since Arab photographers have directly hired to dispel our ideas about such concepts as "occupation" or "blockade". 
And even they have factories, probably working ...
A small square with a monument to one of the many martyrs who blew up a bus or bus stop in Israel…
Another restaurant where the inhabitants of the occupied city indulge in dreams of freedom...
And in the evenings, the Arabs dream of freedom in clubs and expensive restaurants….
The traitors do not sleep, they deliberately turn on the lights at night to make it easier for Israeli planes to find the right targets ...
Embankment…
Arabs, dreaming of freedom, fall into a depressed state and move away from the world to mourn in such villas, swim in their own pool ... Sit on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, listen to the sound of the surf ...
The fate of a real blockade is heavy ...
And here is the bus station… blockade survivors ride in buses with villour seats and air conditioners… Because it’s simply impossible to do otherwise… It’s hot, it’s understandable If there is no air conditioner, then those who in Russia drank all the water in the tap will be to blame for this …
There are still signs of occupation, take a closer look. See? The tower, as in the USSR, in the camps ... There, for sure, a khamasyatnik sits in the city guarding, like a guard of the zone ...
Well, here, for sure, is a school, in the basement of which there is a workshop for the production of shahid belts or rockets, with which they fire at the “occupiers” every now and then in gratitude for tens of thousands of tons of free cargo……
Our tour, alas, has come to an end, but I think we will turn to the topic of life in the “occupied territories” more than once
