Conscription in Gaza?

OMAR GHRAIEB THE MEDIA LINE

It started with the introduction of high taxes on cigarettes, as the de facto Hamas government attempted to prevent merchants from selling cigarettes, making the cost of smoking prohibitive for average citizens. Next, Hamas banned hookahs from public places. When this restriction caused a stir, they amended the regulation to prevent only females from smoking hookahs in public.

“A scene that includes women sitting in an opened public place will harm the image of Gaza and the reputation of Islam,” read the press release issued by Gaza’s Ministry of Interior Affairs. But Gaza’s women protested against the new hookah regulations and the law was eventually withdrawn.

Then came measures “implementing actions to raise the moral metre in Gaza” by imposing restrictions on lingerie shops in the Strip. Mannequins could not be placed outside or in shop windows, so as not to exhibit “indecent women’s lingerie.” The ministry also banned changing rooms and surveillance cameras inside the shops.

The latest bombshell to be dropped on Gazans by Hamas’ de facto government is the possibility of a law that would introduce graduated military conscription, starting off with “voluntary” conscription and moving, later, to mandatory.

Minister of Interior Affairs Fathi Hamad announced during a speech at the general directorate for training police officers that the government would soon open the door to non-compulsory conscription followed, after an unspecified period of time, by compulsory conscription.

A government source who asked to remain anonymous confirmed Hamas’ readiness to institute voluntary conscription in Gaza. “This is an Islamic and national duty in addition to being an act of patriotism,” he said.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Interior Affairs, Ihab Al-Ghussein, on the other hand, had a different point of view. “A commission set up by the ministry is preparing a study on this matter and, upon its completion, it will be submitted to the minister, who will then make any amendments he sees fit before [it is] submitted to the government in Gaza to agree on it for regulation or otherwise,” he said.

Ghussein has said it’s too early to talk about the conscription regulations – optional or compulsory – since the study conducted by the ministry’s commission will take time. He indicated that there is no talk about compulsory conscription at this moment or in the near future. However, Ghussein would not specify details relating to the age or condition of Gazans who would be accepted for conscription and officials have agreed not to divulge information until the commission finishes its study and the regulations are issued.

As a result, Gazans are left to speculate on the details. Will men with permanent illness be excused? What about an only child? What about the age range of conscripts? What will be the period of time of conscription? This law has generated a lot of talk in Gaza, even before being issued, but officials say the public will have to wait for answers.

Visiting my best friend, Ziad Ali, at his house in Gaza recently, this issue came up in conversation. He wanted to know if, as the only male in his family and at 22 years old, he would be excused from serving.

Ali’s mother, Faten, had something to say, as well. “We don’t belong to or follow any Palestinian faction and we are not planning on changing now. I will never let my son join the police here in Gaza, even if I had to send him to another country or maybe emigrate to somewhere else where I don’t have to worry about my only [son]. I have him and his sister, Mira, only now, after my husband died 10 years ago. I am not planning to lose him or his sister for any reason or at any price, even if it means [not] serving his country,” she said.

Going into the street, people interviewed from different ages and social statuses have had many different viewpoints on the issue – some were for it, some against, and others didn’t want to express their thoughts publicly. Many who support Hamas see this as a normal policy. Meanwhile, most of those belonging to other political factions say they reject the law as unjust. Among those who don’t belong to any particular faction, their response are mixed as well.

Each of the four Asem Al Soosi brothers had a different opinion on the matter. In an interview, Mohammed said he supported conscription in any form as a member of Hamas. Mahmoud belongs to Fatah and strongly opposes the idea, calling conscription “ridiculous.” Ahmed laughed at his brothers and said, though he wasn’t a member of any faction, he supported both voluntary and mandatory service. He would like to join the police, he said, not as a member of Hamas, but to serve his country. The eldest brother, Mustafa, said he was against conscription and that he doesn’t belong to any faction – because he is against them, too.

Conscription is not what Gazans need, said Mustafa. “We need a free, prosperous country where people aren’t suffering and are enjoying their full rights, so we better focus on that instead of talking about conscription.”

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