Preparing for Peace in Gaza
November 16, 2010
For someone surrounded by conflict in the Middle East, John Ging is surprisingly upbeat. The director of the Gaza office for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), Ging is the target of frequent criticism and occasional violence from extremist groups across the region. On November 10th, he spoke at a Harris School event titled “The Possibility of Peace,” offering a view of the Gaza Strip as an area full of untapped opportunity for peace and economic growth.
Gaza, a coastal slice in southern Israel that has been hotly contested for centuries, remains a significant hurdle for the ongoing negotiations in an Israeli-Palestine two-state solution. But its ready for resolution, Ging noted with confidence.
Ging knows about intractable conflicts. He grew up in Northern Ireland, where religious feuds raged for centuries. Participating in the historical peace process there sparked his interest in the field of conflict resolution. He's since been shuttled from one conflict zone to another. That is, until the U.N. thrust him into the thickest of international impasses.
Since 2006, Ging has coordinated services for more than one million Palestinian refugees who have poured into Gaza from Egypt and other parts of Israel. A bulk of his work focuses on after-school programs and strengthening education in the region. Yet Ging’s bold initiatives have upset some anti-U.N. extremist groups so much that they've tried to assassinate him twice, explained Daniel May, of J Street U, in his introduction.
May's group, which co-sponsored the event, is the student-driven collegiate arm of J Street, a lobbying organization founded in 2008 to serve as a "pro-Israel" bloc devoted to a two-state solution.
Ging's lecture centered on the premise that the majority of residents in Gaza share this vision."Why is it that 73 percent of the people in Gaza are strongly pro-peace, pro–two-state solution?" he asked. "[Because] they know where their best future lies."
Rather than detrimental “emotive” responses, Ging said Gaza residents display a pragmatic approach to the conflict and see an invigorated economy as a part of the solution, as open commerce that once vibrantly moved in and out of Gaza has been crippled by an Israel blockade since 2007. It's been economically depleted as a result, with 80 percent of the population now entirely dependent upon foreign aid.
Throughout his talk, Ging avoided the charged politics of the conflict, noting the danger of increased polarization. "If you want to be pro-Israel, you have to be pro-Palestinian," he insisted more than once. He was also adamant about the problems caused by the Israel’s continued blockade. "It's feeding extremism," he said.
Ending on an optimistic note, Ging recalled his experience in Ireland as an Army veteran, where in the early 1990s he joined hundreds of signatories on a peace accord. Despite a fierce resistance to their decision from both sides, he explained, "we signed for a better future." The people of Gaza, he hopes, will soon have the same chance.
By Mark Bergen
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