海角大神

If you鈥檇 given me a blind taste test, I would have guessed that the small succulent strawberries聽could have fetched $10 a carton聽at a high-end organic market聽in Jerusalem.

But that would be illegal since the strawberries were grown in the Gaza Strip. And聽Gaza's farmers aren鈥檛 allowed to export their strawberries 鈥� or tomatoes, bell peppers, chives, carnations, or聽any other produce聽鈥� to Israel, a policy that has been in place since Hamas took over the coastal territory in 2007.

There are exceptions, however, which is how the聽United States Consulate聽here聽finagled a small聽sample聽of produce聽from Gaza聽last month, a聽one-time transfer approved by the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture. Two security guards聽inspected聽the shipment of a dozen boxes at the Erez checkpoint 鈥� but only out of curiosity about the hot chili peppers, which were not the usual variety found in Gaza.

Inside the consulate,聽local Palestinian and foreign journalists nibbled at petite strawberry shortcakes and platters of hors d鈥檕euvres. A table groaned with a harvest spread of shiny bell peppers, earthy sweet potatoes, bouquets of chives and, of course, strawberries.

Gazan growers seized the opportunity to lobby聽US Consul General Michael Ratney to help plead their case for improved market access in Israel, which used to be the main buyer of Gaza鈥檚 fresh produce exports.

鈥淯SAID is not helping Gaza,鈥� said Ghassan Qassem,聽one of the growers.

鈥淢ish saheeye,鈥� Mr. Ratney replied, using a little Arabic to disagree.

鈥淢ost of the aid is going to humanitarian [projects], which is not helping the economy,鈥� persisted Mr. Qassem, who manages the Beit Hanout agricultural cooperative in northern Gaza.

Ratney said he recognized the need to help Gaza鈥檚 private sector and expressed hope that Israelis would be won over by the 鈥渜uality, safety, and freshness鈥� of Gaza鈥檚 products.聽But he didn鈥檛 offer any quick fix to Israel鈥檚 ban on imports from Gaza.

Gazan producers got a minor reprieve this week: COGAT,聽the Israeli authority responsible for Gaza, announced a number of steps designed to ease reconstruction in the territory. They included the transfer of 45 tractors for farmers, an increase in the monthly quota for business permits for Gazans from 3,000 to 5,000, and a modest expansion of agricultural and industrial exports from Gaza to the West Bank.

Agricultural exports stalled

Before Israel鈥檚 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005, more than 11,000 truckloads聽of goods were exported annually. Even after Israel pulled out, Palestinians were exporting upwards of 5,000 truckloads annually, with about 70 percent of the produce going to Israel and 25 percent to the West Bank, according to Bashar Skaik of Paltrade in Gaza City. Agriculture was one of the largest sectors, accounting for more than a third of total exports.

Then came the 2006 election and the violent takeover by Hamas the following year. Since 2010, an average of only聽229 truckloads per year聽have been exported out of Gaza (Israel says its restrictions curb weapons trafficking; rights groups call them collective punishment.) None of those exports are allowed聽into聽the Israeli market, and until this fall the West Bank was also off limits.聽A trickle of fresh flowers and other goods are shipped to Europe as part of aid projects.

Given these obstacles, why does Qassem, who has grown strawberries and carnations in Gaza since the early 1990s, keep at it?

鈥淟oyalty to my land and my country,鈥� he says simply.