Gazapalooza Summer '07

Andrew Lee Butters/Gaza City, TIME, 31/07/07. I've been in Gaza since Thursday reporting on my own without Hamas. For the first time in years, civil society is returning to Gaza thanks to the security provided by the 5,000 members of the Hamas Executive Force, a paramilitary unit that has taken over the policing the 1.4 million people of Gaza. Less than two months ago, Gaza was one of the most dangerous places in the world. But within a week after the Hamas takeover, the crime, the violence, the tribal clashes, the kidnappings and murders by in large ended. This is surely one of the world's most impressive law enforcement achievements, and the fact that it was done so quickly with so few people is a testament to the corruption and collusion that was endemic among the 70,000 or so members of the Palestinian security forces in Gaza who were financed by America and mostly loyal to Fatah. The new security in Gaza partly explains why there were so many journalists on this tour. After the kidnapping of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, Gaza was a no-go area for us. Now Alan is free and a banner hangs in front of the main press building in Gaza city: "No more threat to our foreign visitors and guests -- Hamas." There is a new sheriff in Gaza.

The Media is the Message at the Palestinian Parliament

Ever since Hamas kicked the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority out of Gaza in June, Fatah -- with American encouragement -- has been hitting the airways with tales of Hamas ruthlessness, extremism and totalitarianism in the Strip. So Hamas hit back with a field trip for the foreign press designed to show the world what life in Gaza under Hamas is really like. And if yesterday's events were any guide, lemme tell ya, it's a lark!

First off, we went straight to the home of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. In contrast to Fatah leaders and their gangsta-fabulous lifestyles, Hanniya and his family still actually live in the 'hood -- in this case Beach Camp, a poor district in Gaza City for refugees from the '48 war. Still, it all got a little thick when Haniyeh himself appeared on the terrace above the journalist throng. I half-expected him to throw roses or start singing: "Don't cry for me Argentina! The truth is I never left you."

The House that Haniyeh Built

Next stop, we looked at some of the houses and buildings belonging to the Palestinian Authority and to Fatah leaders, which were supposedly looted by Hamas, according to Fatah. I personally can attest that the bathrooms in the official Palestinian guesthouse were in perfect working condition. Noticeably absent on this Gaza version of MTV Cribs was a tour of Fatah security chief Mohammed Dahlan's lair. In the days just after the Gazan civil war, angry locals visited the homes of those Fatah heavies accused of murder and torture, and apparently the mobs weren't as nice about using the proper facilities as I was.

I've seen some tough things in the Middle East, but nothing has quite burned my retina like the sight of a hundred journalists bum-rushing the jail cells at Gaza City security headquarters to ask killers, thieves and child molesters what it's like to be in a Hamas-run prison. Talk about Felliniesque. Anyway, I'm just as bad as my colleagues -- I went one floor up and talked to a man convicted of killing a money changer who said the difference between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas was like night and day. Now they've got better food, family visits, and an end to verbal abuse. "Hamas people know God, and they respect our humanity," he said.

What, you don't trust a convicted murderer? Well how about a a Catholic priest. There are about 4,000 Christians in Gaza (of whom about 200 are Catholic) and according to Father Manuel Musallam of the Holy Family Church, they have little to fear from Hamas. "As Palestinians, we Christians live with Muslims, and we suffer with Muslims," he said. "We did not suffer from them. Hamas defends Christians as well as Muslims. We are not talking about a fanatical institution."

Anyway, you get the point. But as heavy-handed as the Hamas PR was, it pretty much checks out. I've been in Gaza since Thursday reporting on my own without Hamas. For the first time in years, civil society is returning to Gaza thanks to the security provided by the 5,000 members of the Hamas Executive Force, a paramilitary unit that has taken over the policing the 1.4 million people of Gaza. Less than two months ago, Gaza was one of the most dangerous places in the world. But within a week after the Hamas takeover, the crime, the violence, the tribal clashes, the kidnappings and murders by in large ended. This is surely one of the world's most impressive law enforcement achievements, and the fact that it was done so quickly with so few people is a testament to the corruption and collusion that was endemic among the 70,000 or so members of the Palestinian security forces in Gaza who were financed by America and mostly loyal to Fatah.

The new security in Gaza partly explains why there were so many journalists on this tour. After the kidnapping of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, Gaza was a no-go area for us. Now Alan is free and a banner hangs in front of the main press building in Gaza city: "No more threat to our foreign visitors and guests -- Hamas." There is a new sheriff in Gaza.

--Andrew Lee Butters/Gaza City