THE GAZA STRIP is a space apart. For over a decade and a half, it has been hemmed in and besieged by Israel, abetted by Egypt in its cruel endeavor. The siege has reduced the territory’s inhabitants to the barest level of existence, even as Israel, one of the greatest military powers on earth, regularly surveilles and uses the slightest sign of resistance as a pretext to bombard the 2-million strong population. The people of Gaza live in deplorable conditions, deprived of potable water, fuel, electric power, construction materials, and a vast range of ordinary goods, while waiting for another Israeli escalation. Immobilized in an area of 360 square miles, they are robbed of the ability to travel and of most other elements of human freedom.