For the over 1.3 million Palestinians crammed into Gaza’s sewage-fouled refugee camps, the end of the Israeli presence is a cause for celebration and a reminder of the bleak realities of their lives.Some adopt Hamas’ view of the pullout as a fruit of the Palestinian uprising that erupted nearly five years ago. But many Gazans take a more cautious perspective, wondering whether the Israeli departure represents real liberation or merely will aggravate woes such as lawlessness, factional fighting and corruption.The Palestinian Authority has ambitious plans for developing the land that Israel vacated last month. In the past, Palestinian development works have often carried the taint of mismanagement, mis-spending and cronyism. The corruption issue is one that Hamas, the Palestinian Authority’s principal rival, probably will hammer away at in coming months as the two sides duel for political dominance in Gaza. ‘‘The Palestinians are in perhaps the most crucial in their history,’’ said Yohanan Tzoref, of the Interdisciplinary Centre, an Israeli think tank. ‘‘This is a transition not only between Israeli control and Palestinian control over the Gaza Strip, but between Yasser Arafat’s rule and that of his real successor.’’ — LAT-WP
