Brian K. Barber, PhD is Senior Non-Resident Scholar at the Middle East Policy Council, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Palestine Studies, and Professor Emeritus, University of Tennessee. His most recent book is No Way but Forward: Life Stories of Three Families in the Gaza Strip. See www.bkbarber.com
Tragically, the list of Israel's Western-armed, criminal assaults on the Gaza Strip—the mass murders and maiming, the unending forced displacement, the rife infrastructure destruction, the intentional starvation-induced famine and more—must now include the annihilation of Gaza City: one of the world's oldest and most significant cities with a record dating back nearly 6,000 years. With the advent of a shaky ceasefire ending Israel's razing of Gaza's crown jewel, those backing the ceasefire must now consider how to preserve what little is left, aiming to restore this civilizational epicenter in the Middle East.
Over the last two years, Israeli forces have destroyed most of Gaza City's cultural heritage, including its archives, libraries, mosques, churches, schools and universities. But, as of last month, it started systematically obliterating the entire city and what remained of its one million inhabitants—day by day, home by home, street by street and neighborhood by neighborhood.
This wholesale destruction is a dreadful crime against the past and against civilization more broadly, marking another dark instance of the annihilation of iconic locations across human history.
Tributes to Gaza City over the millennia are numerous, including to its greatness, size, splendor and beauty, ranging from its coolness as an oasis port in the desert to its fruits, vineyards and migrant birds. An inscription on one of many coins minted in Gaza around the beginning of the first millennium BCE reads: "The city of the Gazaeans is sacred, and an asylum and autonomous, faithful, pious, brilliant, and great." Five hundred years later, Antoninus Martyr wrote: "Gaza is a splendid and beautiful city; its men most honest, liberal in every respect, and friendly to the pilgrims."
With the advent of a shaky ceasefire ending Israel's razing of Gaza's crown jewel, those backing the ceasefire must now consider how to preserve what little is left and restore the rest of this civilizational epicenter in the Middle East.
- Brian K Barber
Largely because of its geographic position on the main road connecting Africa and Asia, the chronology of its rulers, attackers or conquerors spanning centuries represents a continuous testimony to its strength and fierce resistance. Such empires and countries include the Canaanites, Egyptians (multiple times), Philistines, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Seleucids, Romans (multiple times), Jews (multiple times), Christians, Persians, Muslims, Turks, Crusaders, Mongols, Mamelukes, Ottomans (multiple times), French (multiple times), British (multiple times) and Israelis (multiple times).
The history of Gaza City, often referred to historically as the capital of Palestine, reads like a "Who's Who" of famous personages: Ramses I, Ramses II, Ramses III, among at least 16 Pharaohs; Saul, David, Solomon, Alexander the Great, Plutarch, Pompey, Caesar, Herod, Jesus, Antony, Cleopatra, Porphyry, Richard the Lionheart, Omar ibn al Khattab and Hashim ibn Abd Manaf—the great-grandfather of Muhammad—among many others.
To preserve history, protecting what remains, including the venerable Gaza City and the broader Strip, is essential
- Brian K Barber
As a military stronghold, it hosted some of the greatest ancient battles. More recently, both Napoleon and Alexander were injured in Gaza, the latter losing ten thousand men in conquering it. It took British commander Edmund Allenby three days to capture the city at the end of World War I.
But the city has also been a crucial commercial and political hub, hosting a regional medical center alongside famed mosques, churches, libraries and markets. Trade has historically been vibrant, especially for incense, spice, wine, olive oil and precious stones as early as 500 BCE. So important was Gaza in Roman times that it had its own calendar. It was also the locale of famous stories, such as Sampson and David and Goliath.
In the late fifth and early sixth centuries AD, Gaza City's fairs and theaters were famous throughout Palestine, packed with people hoping to listen to noted scholars, poets and philosophers. Gaza City was also famed for its school of rhetoric (speaking and writing), which was at the time the basis of all higher education.
For the current citizens of Gaza—particularly those who were born, raised and established lives in Gaza City—the horror of this demise must be incalculable and inexpressible. For those of us outsiders who have had the privilege of knowing and loving Palestine and its people, this erasure brings tears of sympathy and shame for our governments' heartless facilitation of this catastrophe and genocide.
Israel's vicious two-year assault on the Gaza Strip must be permanently stopped for the sake of the lives of the people that remain and for the integrity of Palestine and humanity itself. That includes efforts to preserve and restore Gaza's impressive history and countless stories, which constitute an integral part of the Palestinian identity.
The hope is that Trump's shaky ceasefire—in place for two weeks now—can help achieve just that. Nevertheless, the Israeli military continues to kill Palestinians in Gaza, including residents of Gaza City who have dared return there to see if any part of their homes remain. Too many find nothing at all. The plan provides no clarity on when, how and by whom reconstruction of Gaza will take place, if it does at all.
To preserve history, protecting what remains, including the venerable Gaza City and the broader Strip, is essential. World leaders must recognize the importance of restoring—and thus, retaining—Gaza City and the Gaza's historical and cultural underpinnings, viewing them as essential to any future Palestinian state.
Hopefully, that day will come, when the great City of Gaza is rebuilt—by Palestinians.
