On the scene with Rula Amin in Gaza City, Gaza

Rula Amin

CNN.com talked Monday with CNN Correspondent Rula Amin who has been covering the Middle East crisis from the Palestinian controlled territory of Gaza.

Q: What has been the most striking thing you have witnessed today in Gaza?

Amin: I think it's the anger and how the demonstrators that we've seen have all these different united factions that we have never seen before to send their message to Arafat, which is: Don't compromise. That unity of factions is something I haven't seen in a very long time.

Q: What have Palestinian officials said about Yasser Arafat's participation in the emergency summit and how it might affect his support among his people?

Amin: Most of the officials, if not all of them, said it was difficult for Arafat to leave for the summit. People are very skeptical that he will accomplish anything there. He will have to do a lot of balancing to accommodate the pressure he is getting from all sides.

Q: How has Israel's closing of the territories affected the lives of Palestinians trapped inside?

Amin: It affects their lives in every aspect economically, psychologically and socially. That kind of siege is creating a feeling that they are in a big jail. Gaza farmers cannot send their products to the West Bank and their products are rotting as a result. That has cost them already over $400 million. Families who are spread out between Gaza and the West Bank are cut off from each other.

Q: What political or logistical situation sets Gaza apart from Palestinians in the West Bank?

Amin: The West Bank is much larger than Gaza based on how much land there is for the population. As a result, there are very few natural resources in Gaza compared to the West Bank. Also, almost 60 percent of Gazans are refugees living in refugee camps. They are doing much worse than Palestinians in the West Bank. In addition, many Gaza Palestinians have jobs in the West Bank and because Israel has closed the territories, they cannot get to their jobs to make a living.

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