The Oslo Accords, Gaza’s hope that was stolen
The Oslo Accords dashed the hope of freedom for the Palestinians in Gaza. After months of secret Israeli-Palestinian talks three decades ago, the hope sparked by a historic handshake on the White House lawn now bemoans the indifference of citizens in Gaza and the failure to deliver on promises.
Independent Palestinian
The establishment of an independent Palestinian state was agree upon in the Oslo Accords, but years of stalled peace talks and bloody violence have made hopes of a peaceful solution to the Palestinian conflict far from realised. According to Iman Hasna, a 20-year-old student from the besieged Gaza Strip, “The Oslo Accords shattered our dreams, our future and our hopes.”
Oslo Agreement
Hasna was not even born at the time of this agreement. Then Yaser Arafat, the head of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, returned to Gaza after several months of exile. On September 13, 1993, a signing ceremony was held in Washington. The agreement gave the Palestinian Authority some measure of governance in the interim, but these powers were never as extensive as the final settlement of the conflict. According to 22-year-old Adam Abdullah, “It has had a very negative impact on the new generation.”
Arrived in Gaza
Another 20-year-old student, Ahmad Al-Abdullah, says that whatever is in the agreement, it is nothing more than politics on paper. In July 1994, Mustafa al-Sununoyasar arrived in Gaza along with Arafat. He was then name the commander of the Palestinian presidential guard. According to Al Sununo, “We thought that our country would become like Singapore. Open roads, job opportunities for our children, one government, one airport, one port and one passport. Then we felt that the construction of the state is not far away.
Home to 2.3 million people
Gaza is a narrow coastal strip, currently home to 2.3 million people. However, after the administration of Gaza was transfer to Hamas in 2007, Israel imposed a land and naval blockade on it, which continues to this day.
Unemployment rate
The youth unemployment rate in this area is 70%, while ordinary people face problems such as lack of access to clean drinking water and electricity outages. In 1998, the Palestinians opened the first airport in Gaza. However, it was destroy by Israeli forces during the second Palestinian intifada in 2001.
