With yesterday’s announcement of death sentences against two men found guilty of drug dealing, the de-facto Hamas authorities in Gaza took a dramatic new step in their fight against drugs in the enclave, which is blockaded by Israel.
Though the Hamas authorities frequently sentence to death people accused of murder and “collaboration” with Israel, yesterday marked the first time such the penalty had been used against people found guilty of drugs offences.
The Hamas interior ministry publicized the sentences in a series of tweets, accusing Israel of being behind the drug problem and drawing equivalence between collaboration and drug dealing.
الداخلية: كل من يقوم بالإتجار بالمخدرات لا يقل جرمه عن المتخابرين مع الاحتلال، فهدفهم واحد وهو تدمير المجتمع الفلسطيني
— الداخلية الفلسطينية (@moigovps) March 19, 2017
Interior ministry: All those who are dealing drugs, their guilt is no less than a collaborator with the occupation, because their aim is one: to destroy Palestinian society.
الداخلية:ما فشل الاحتلال في تحقيقه من خلال الحروب والحصار لن يُفلح في تحقيقه خلال نشر المخدرات والسموم بين أبناء شعبنا#محاكمة_تجار_الموت
— الداخلية الفلسطينية (@moigovps) March 19, 2017
Interior ministry: The failure of the occupation in their aims through wars and the siege will not succeed through spreading drugs and poisons in the sons of our people.
Both men were accused of being in possession of large quantities of tramadol, a synthetic opiate whose abuse has previously been reported to be a problem in Gaza.
“Tramadol is destroying our youth”, one resident of Gaza City told Al Bawaba. He requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject. “It is also causing crime to increase. The drug appeared after the Fatah-Hamas split of 2007, and it has since spread like crazy.”
He told Al Bawaba that the drugs were coming through the tunnels from Egpyt.
Abu Ahmed, an activist and community organizer in the Strip also told Al Bawaba that the drugs were coming from Egypt.
“The drug was initially used by couples due to the drug’s ability to prolong sexual intercourse, but now its use is most prevalent amongst unemployed people.”
The resident of Gaza City said that the drugs prevalence made him fearful for his children, and that he had spoken with them to warn of its dangers.
Abu Ahmed said that it was difficult to treat addiction, or know the true extent of it, due to societal disapproval in Gaza. “Usually affected people go underground and keep the issue away from others,” he said.
Saleh Hijazi, a researcher on Palestinian affairs, said that it would be wrong to say that there had been a lessening of the taboo against drug use in Palestinian society, despite usage increasing. “People use drugs but at the same time will condemn it in public. People who are caught using or dealing are looked down on, and can expect the worst treatment from the police.”
Hijazi told Al Bawaba that the rise of Tramadol came after Hamas made alcohol and other substances more difficult to obtain after their takeover of Gaza in 2007.
“Hamas are taking the hard-line approach to drugs favored by other strict Islamic states such as Saudi Arabia. They want to send a strong message, and they think that the death penalty can prevent further drug dealing - but it won’t work.”
Jacob Burns
