A visitor returns to Gaza and finds much has changed

Palestinian girls paint images of the Dome of the Rock at a summer camp in Gaza City on Thursday

Editor's note: CNN Senior Executive Producer Robert Wiener, now based in Paris, was CNN's Jerusalem bureau chief during the first three years of the Palestinian uprising. He recently returned to Gaza, where the intifada erupted on December 9, 1987. Here are some of his observations:

GAZA (CNN) -- For decades, the Gaza Strip has been synonymous with squalor and despair. Although Gaza is no longer occupied by Israel and is run by the Palestinian National Authority, hundreds of thousands of refugees continue to languish in fetid camps -- their homes since Israel was established in 1948.

"We are like fish," Ali al-Hissi, 61, explains. "The big fish eat the small fish ... the big fish -- the rich -- they swallow us whole."

And yet, returning to Gaza after more than a decade's absence, one can't help but be astounded by the changes that abound.

Most obvious is the absence of Israeli soldiers. Gazans go about their lives no longer worried about being beaten, detained or imprisoned.

Where once the residents endured a curfew, now they enjoy a thriving night life.

Parents no longer agonize when their children play outdoors. The children of Gaza can pursue the simple pleasures most children take for granted because they no longer run the risk of being wounded or killed in the violent clashes that were the hallmark of the intifada.

The city of Gaza itself is in bloom -- literally. Hundreds of trees have been planted along newly paved roads. The streets are remarkably tidy and new parks have been built. During the dozens of times I visited the Gaza Strip, I never saw people picnic. This time, I did. Having experienced the vicious and violent hellhole that once was Gaza, to stroll down the streets here these days is jolting.

Gaza has developed civic pride.

Despite the obvious benefits of Palestinian autonomy, enormous problems remain. As members of the al-Hissi clan say, the donor money that poured into Gaza from Sweden, Norway, Italy, France and elsewhere has not filtered down to those who need it most.

"There's no work, just high unemployment," says Ali's nephew Majid. "You see the new buildings, the tall ones near the beach. They are for (Palestinian) Authority officials, not for people like us. The elite have swallowed Gaza, and those of us who made real sacrifices during the intifada regret it. I'm sorry I wasted one minute of my life for them."

Majid, a fisherman, says he has a reason to be bitter. The uprising cost his family dearly. Several relatives were killed and wounded, his wife beaten, his children tear-gassed and his brother, a political activist, forced into exile. He is angry about the lack of support from today's Palestinian leaders.

"The area where we can fish is very limited," he explains. "The area that has the best fish is still controlled by the Israelis and we're forbidden to enter it. They (the Palestinian leadership) should do something about it."

Like many Gazans I spoke with, Majid accuses his political leaders of corruption -- an accusation that first surfaced after Yasser Arafat and his PLO leadership moved from Tunisia to Gaza in 1994.

"There is corruption," admits Marwam Kanafani, a former Arafat spokesman who now represents Gaza in the Palestinian Legislative Council. "But any state has corruption ... not just a Palestinian state. We read about corruption in Israel every day, and of course, there's also corruption in the United States. The issue is: Can we stop corruption? And I say we are doing that.

"Many of the conditions set down by the World Bank and donor countries to eliminate corruption have already been met," Kanafani adds. "We're making progress, and I'm sure we'll find a way to stop it ... not only corruption, but human rights violations as well.

"We won't tolerate violations of human rights in this country. We'll fight it according to our laws, according to our constitution, and according to the needs of a nation such as ours in this time of need."

Virtually every Palestinian one speaks to talks of his or her needs -- and it seems that everyone here is focused on the talks under way at Camp David to address them. But a viable agreement is viewed with much skepticism.

As one Gazan put it: "We have hope, but we also feel hopeless."

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