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> making it basically impossible to do, well, anything but be poor and angry: No fishing, no trade, unreliable electricity, not enough fuel, slow internet, etc.
by pugio 7y ago
> making it basically impossible to do, well, anything but be poor and angry: No fishing, no trade, unreliable electricity, not enough fuel, slow internet, etc.
The blockade certainly makes things difficult, but, like all things, the actual situation is much more complex than that. The people in power in Gaza seem to find it much more expedient for things to remain bad, and all the hate, negative energy, and blame to be directed at Israel, than to put real effort into making things better.
Regarding, for example, your mention of electricity, I've had conversations with people who tried to set up a working electric plant within Gaza, and were stymied by a baffling level of neglect, poor workmanship, and inattention to cleanliness or detail on the part of the Gazans. (I'm not making a general statement about Gazans here, just the ones involved with the project.)
It seems sometimes as though the people there feel that if they were to give up some of the hate, anger, and outrage towards Israel (justified or not), and actually devote their full energies to improving what they have, then they'd be selling out their cause. A prospering Gaza is a less effective critique of Israeli policy, and a less useful weapon on the public stage in the battle to reclaim ancestral lands.
- tomcooks 7y ago> negative energy Israel burns down centuries -old olive trees, closes access to water, and promotes settlements in occupied territories "Negative energy"
- avip 7y ago- Olives rarely make it to hundreds of years. Surely they don’t in Gaza which has crappy soil for olives. Are you confused with the West Bank? - All water in Gaza are provided by Israel. Are you confused with Hebron or some other place? - There are no settlements in Gaza since the unilateral withdrawal in 2005. Are you confused?
- bayesian_horse 7y agoIsrael controls Gaza and the Westbank in pretty much any sense that matters, especially they limit or prohibit trade and they regularly conduct raids of all sorts. That in turn means they are responsible for providing water and almost everything else, and the Palestinians have almost no agency over any of their affairs, which also makes it hard or impossible for them to reign in their militant fractions. And it's hard to expect those in Gaza to not have a problem with what happens in Westbank and the other way around.
- avip 7y agoDoes it? If US build that wall and stop trading with Mexico, it’ll suddenly become responsible to supply the needs of the Mexican people? Israel supports Gaza because it’s an overwhelming consensus that leaving 1.8mm people, most of them innocent by any reasonable definition, to starve to death, is not a viable option. And no one thinks Egypt, a disfunctioning state by itself, will take any action.
- bayesian_horse 7y agoCompletely different situation. Mexico is undeniably a larger country and much more self-sufficient. Neither the Westbank nor Gaza are self-sufficient. Israel does not allow Egypt to help them either, even though Egypt is not dysfunctional at the moment. So Israel is taking active measures to prevent Palestinians from getting help, trading, or even building their own economy (which is tough when you can't produce construction material and Israel doesn't let any in). Israel is also responsible for putting Palestinians into those zones, because that many people wouldn't move voluntarily into an area that can't sustain them. Their situation has been likened to that of a prison, and the comparison is quite apt. In a prison, the wardens are almost completely responsible for anything that happens inside.
- pugio 7y agoIt's hard to choose language that doesn't carry an inciting valence for someone. I'm not trying to make a "which one's worse, or more at fault" argument; I'm saying that when you're in a bad situation, you can languish in your victimhood, let your hate fester, and do nothing productive to improve your situation, or you can direct some of that energy into positive pursuits. (I speak from personal experience of a culture that struggles with moving past its self-definition as a victim.) The example I gave was of some people refusing to put in the work to generating their own power, thus perpetuating their dependence on Israel-provided power sources. The situation in Gaza is not a pure function of Israel's actions, but a very complex maelstrom of conflicting cultures, values, and priorities.