Special Update: Public Sector strikes in Gaza
Gaza Education Strikes: School Matters
The ongoing teacher strike in Gaza, which has so far lasted 94 days, has been officially extended until the end of the year. More than 50% (9,000) of Gaza’s teachers are refusing to work, affecting all 381 public schools.
The walkout was launched on the first day of the new school year (24 August) by the Palestinian Teachers’ Union (PTU) in protest to the transfer and replacement of over 40 head teachers not aligned with Hamas. The strike has received support from the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank along with the Palestinian General Federation of the Trade Unions (PGFTU). Shaher Sae’d, the General Secretary of the PGFTU, told a delegation of British Labour MPs in Ramallah on 9 September that the strike action was necessary and was only prompted after teachers and other public sector workers not allied with Hamas were systematically being transferred, demoted, fired, fined, detained and even tortured.
In contrast, the strike has been met with widespread denunciation and intimidation by the Hamas government in Gaza; dismissing it as a politically motivated attempt to undermine its rule. Mohammed Askoul, Hamas’ Education Minister in Gaza, swiftly responded by replacing thousands of the striking teachers; a move that ensures Gaza’s education system will be stacked with Hamas loyalists.
The regime in Gaza and the Fatah-dominated administration in the West Bank share the same educational curriculum and exams - one of the few areas the rivals still have in common - but that could soon change. There are fears that Hamas’ control of classrooms will change the tone of instruction and create more sympathy for the group’s extreme Islamic ideology among the territory’s 250,000 school students.
The Education Ministry in Gaza claims that 6000 of the 9000 striking teachers have been replaced and said:
“Anybody who left their job will not be allowed to return... they have become irrelevant and cannot be trusted anymore as educators.” (27/08/2008)
The General Secretary of the Public Sector Employees’ union, Bassam Zakarnah, said:
“The threats from Hamas do not deter us from defending the rights of teachers as there is no legitimacy in the learning process when schools are transformed into party-specific entities. The aim is not just to strike but to preserve the rights of employees... people are involved in this so that they can regain their dignity and their rights.” (28/08/2008)
Education Strike Facts:
- There are 250,000 school students in Gaza.
- The strike is affecting all 381 Palestinian Authority (PA) schools. The 213 schools run by the United Nations, and their 197,000 students, are not affected.
- Initially more than 60% of teachers at PA schools adhered to the strike call however throughout October and November the number on strike was estimated to be approximately 52%.
- Pupil attendance has remained constant throughout the strike as the 6,000 Hamas appointed replacement teachers continue to conduct lessons.
- The United Nations say the quality of education is of concern as most of the new teachers brought in to plug the gap are straight out of college.
Gaza Hospital Strikes: Health Strains
Medical staff throughout the Gaza Strip have also been on strike since late August. The Medical Workers’ Union (MWU) called the strike to show solidarity with striking teachers and to demand that Hamas reinstate all medical staff that have been fired for their political loyalties. Hamas has accused the MWU of calling for the walkout at state-run hospitals and clinics as a political ploy, but has aggravated the crisis by shutting down private clinics run by striking doctors and forcing other staff to report to duty under the threat of arrest.
Hospitals in Gaza are severely struggling to cope with the strike, running on skeleton staff; many only treating emergency cases. The International Committee of the Red Cross said on 23 October that surgical operations had decreased by 40 percent and hospital admissions were down 20 percent.
Background to Gaza Strikes: Trade union persecution
Hamas Islamic militants seized power in a violent coup in July 2007, leaving the enclave under tight sanctions and Palestinian territory divided; Fatah in the West Bank, Hamas in Gaza. Ever since, Hamas has stamped down on trade unionism, with many trade unionists in Gaza facing violence and intimidation. Soon after seizing power, Hamas seized the PGFTU headquarters, removing all existing slogans and flags, and raising a Hamas flag over the building.
The PTU and the MTU, the unions that called for the strikes, are the last remaining strongholds of the PGFTU trade union movement in Gaza, and have long been accused of being pawns in the hands of the Ramallah government. In 2007, Hamas set up a rival union to the PTU, the Palestine Teachers’ Syndicate (PTS), and security forces took control of the PTU headquarters soon after the strikes started.
Background to Gaza Strikes: Palestinian factions and reconciliation talks
With the heightened tensions between Gaza’s Hamas rulers and the Palestinian Authority, there is little sign of an end to the ongoing strikes. A general reconciliation meeting between the rival Palestinian factions was due to take place on 10 November but was postponed after Hamas decided not to attend. Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, said on 23 November that he would call parliamentary elections if he failed to make progress in reconciliation talks with Hamas by the end of the year.
Israel/Gaza: Israel-Hamas ceasefire
The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel began on 19 June and was agreed for a six month period; however it has been severely threatened since the beginning of November by increased rocket attacks into southern Israel, causing Israel to tighten its restrictions on the territory.
Following a 24-hour lull in rocket attacks, Israel temporarily re-opened a border crossing with the Gaza Strip on 24 November to allow in essential supplies. At least 40 lorry loads of humanitarian aid and other goods were transported into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom crossing. It is the second time in three weeks that Israel has permitted aid deliveries.
Hamas Key points:
- Around 3,500 rockets and mortars have been fired from Gaza into Israel since Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in June 2007.
- According to UN humanitarian reports, education and health services in Gaza have suffered since Hamas Islamic militants seized power.
- According to the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC) report Hamas has significantly increased the size of its forces since it took over the Gaza Strip in June 2007, which it estimated in April to be at 20,000 armed militant.
- Since June 2007 Hamas has been able to build up stock piles of advanced weapons. It has acquired weapons from Iran, Syria and Hezbollah; smuggled from Egypt through tunnels into Gaza.
- Hamas revealed in March that hundreds of its fighters have been trained in Iran. The Hamas commander said “Iran is our mother...she gives us information, military supplies and financial support” (9 March 2008).
- According to the Hamas commander, 650 Hamas fighters have also trained in Syria under Hamas instructors who learnt their techniques in Iran (9/3/2008).
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