They opened a new shopping mall in Gaza last week.
I am completely serious.
The Palestinians are laughing their behinds off at the West and especially at Israel.
In the meantime, Israel is entering a new diplomatic fight to attempt to stop another flotilla, this time from Lebanon, from attempting to enter Gazan waters. Gosh darn it, the Palestinians are so desperate for those humanitarian supplies!
By the way, this appears to be an opportune time to quote from Norman Finkelstein’s recent Gaza book, This Time We Went Too Far:
To preserve my sense of purpose, and keep the Palestine struggle from becoming a lifeless abstraction, I need periodically to recharge my moral batteries by reconnecting with the actual people living under occupation and by witnessing firsthand the unfolding tragedy. From each trip I invariably carry away a handful of stark images that I fix in my mind’s eye to dispel the occasional hesitations about staying the course. When the memories begin to fade I know it is time to return.
Fortunately, next time Finkelstein needs to recharge his moral batteries, he can buy them in the new Gaza shopping mall and take away those stark memories into his next book.
h/t Tom Gross.
How dare they attempt to lead lives
On the contrary, they are already living lives. It’s just that blaming Israel for ills in their society that don’t exist or are their own elected government’s fault and using those claims to further anti-Israel claims is to trade on lies. Of course, they want to receive aid from the UN and from supporting nations, and to this end they have to play up their supposed poverty and squalor, but the fact is they are misleading their supporters in their claims.
Alas, evidently only Ben-David still has faith in President Obama.
Peace?
Peace talks?
Read my numerous articles on the stalling by the Palestinians.
Middle struck mute by the recently-announced outbreak of peace in Israel-Palestine? What gives?
TM sometimes bites off more than he can chew, but at least I get to feel schedenfreude.
Let me know when I bite off too much. It isn’t this time.
Here’s your money quote from the article:
The standard of living in Gaza is higher than in parts of Egypt (it used to be higher than all of Egypt before the Palestinian War of 2000 began). This mall is not an anomaly. There is no shortage of food or products inside Gaza. There is a shortage of freedom for the people of Gaza, but for the blame there you have to look at the government they elected (and apparently cannot unelect). Gaza rejected the entire flotilla shipment sent to them, just to add to the joke they are playing on those who support them.
Oh, and let’s not forget why Israel hampers shipments of certain products and keeps its border closed with Gaza: Gazan rockets, Gazan terrorism and Gazan attempted terrorism. When Israel left, the opportunity to build something and especially to establish positive relations with Israel were there for the taking. Instead, Israel got rockets aimed at their civilians and eventually a Gazan popular vote for a movement whose primary purpose is the erasure of Israel.
Did I mention the Israeli soldier in captivity who has not even been permitted to see a single Red Cross representative in 4 years of being under Gaza’s government’s military’s control?
If you had ever cared, TM, you would use common sense and realise that murder, oppression, apartheid and state terrorism cannot be justified by throwing the blame on others. This is the trouble with the eupporters of Israel state terror – there is no fault in their deeds and there has never been. The GOlda Meir quote regarding not forgiving the palis for killing their children is the epic peak of this apartheid racist mentality – even when I murder your children – always know that it will always be your fault.
Banana, murder (of Fatah men), oppression (of their own citizens who are being forced into living as devout Muslims), apartheid (the rejection of even a single Jew living in their midst) and state terrorism (the firebombing of internet cafes; the theft of UN supplies; the placement of fighters among civilians while attacking another army) are the domain of Hamas. Oh heck, a similar claim can be made about Fatah and the PA. They both justify their actions by blaming Israel, much like Fatah blamed Israel for suicide bombings, plane hijackings and the intentional murders of Israeli schoolchildren.
This is the problem with the supporters of the Palestinians, they constantly turn a blind eye to the violence, corruption, non-liberal nature and refusal to compromise of the Palestinians. They prefer to ignore the peace offers made by Israel and rejected by the Palestinians because turning a blind eye to peace offers simplifies their accusations against Israel. And what kind of accusations? “Racism,” “apartheid,” “genocide,” “state terror.” Lies, in other words.
The Israeli public has been ready for a real two-state solution for over a decade. Two of the past 4 Israeli PMs have extended realistic, serious offers of peace to the Palestinian leadership. But what are you doing? You’re playing the fucking “apartheid” and “racism” game. Either you’re an idiot or a liar. Anybody who really cares about justice and peace, about racism and war, would be out there doing their absolute maximum to convince the Palestinians to come to a reasonable two-state resolution of this conflict. That’s what you would be doing if you cared.
If you really cared, J., you would get the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate.
My heart goes out to the suffering masses of Gaza.