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Previous Administration / Re: Trump Administration
« on: August 08, 2020, 02:55:31 PM »
The idea that the Palestinians are an existential threat to Israel, which is what was being discussed, is farcical.
All countries face threats and need a military and defense capabilities.
Israel's enemies are Iran and Syria, one under crippling economic sanctions and the other torn apart by a civil war. Plus Lebanon, also in collapse, mainly due to Iran's proxy Hezbollah.
Are any of them able to crush or defeat Israel? No.
Of course Israel has to be careful and maintain a strong defense.
And to their credit they're good at it.
Nobody said the Palestinians are angels.
Just that they are oppressed and trying to figure out ways to freedom and ending statelessness, and it's no surprise that some engage in asymmetric warfare. I was referring to the WB with the knives and rocks comment. The last real period of threat within Israel from the WB was a series of knife attacks over several years.
The rocket attacks from Gaza are generally way oversold by Israel. Most are homemade, uncontrolled and land in fields or the sea. They rarely case any damage let alone deaths or injuries. Southern Israel is mostly unpopulated desert, and the rockets are mostly dangerous nuisances.
Hamas only emerged because Israel and PLO never reached an agreement, and the oppression festered and became institutionalized. Hamas became popular because they ran soup kitchens and medical clinics and undertook a lot of on the ground services the Palestinians badly needed. And people liked that they were willing to stand up to and engage Israel, which only led to further destruction of Gaza.
Right now, Gaza and the WB are two different entities with two different relationships and approaches to Israel. It's too bad that the WB cooperative model is simply allowing Israel to do whatever it wants, settle and annex more land, and going so badly for the WB Palestinians who are not any closer to statehood, and just a source of cheap labor and then sent back behind a wall after their low-pay work is done. Otherwise the WB approach could have become a model for Gaza. You can claim Hamas is always going to be terroristic, but that's what used to be said about the PLO. And Hamas really needs a way out of the impasse, as the blockade and intermittent military attacks are making life unlivable there.
You can assign blame to both sides, and we should as there is enough to go around, but you can't credibly dispute who is the oppressor and who the oppressed.
All countries face threats and need a military and defense capabilities.
Israel's enemies are Iran and Syria, one under crippling economic sanctions and the other torn apart by a civil war. Plus Lebanon, also in collapse, mainly due to Iran's proxy Hezbollah.
Are any of them able to crush or defeat Israel? No.
Of course Israel has to be careful and maintain a strong defense.
And to their credit they're good at it.
Nobody said the Palestinians are angels.
Just that they are oppressed and trying to figure out ways to freedom and ending statelessness, and it's no surprise that some engage in asymmetric warfare. I was referring to the WB with the knives and rocks comment. The last real period of threat within Israel from the WB was a series of knife attacks over several years.
The rocket attacks from Gaza are generally way oversold by Israel. Most are homemade, uncontrolled and land in fields or the sea. They rarely case any damage let alone deaths or injuries. Southern Israel is mostly unpopulated desert, and the rockets are mostly dangerous nuisances.
Hamas only emerged because Israel and PLO never reached an agreement, and the oppression festered and became institutionalized. Hamas became popular because they ran soup kitchens and medical clinics and undertook a lot of on the ground services the Palestinians badly needed. And people liked that they were willing to stand up to and engage Israel, which only led to further destruction of Gaza.
Right now, Gaza and the WB are two different entities with two different relationships and approaches to Israel. It's too bad that the WB cooperative model is simply allowing Israel to do whatever it wants, settle and annex more land, and going so badly for the WB Palestinians who are not any closer to statehood, and just a source of cheap labor and then sent back behind a wall after their low-pay work is done. Otherwise the WB approach could have become a model for Gaza. You can claim Hamas is always going to be terroristic, but that's what used to be said about the PLO. And Hamas really needs a way out of the impasse, as the blockade and intermittent military attacks are making life unlivable there.
You can assign blame to both sides, and we should as there is enough to go around, but you can't credibly dispute who is the oppressor and who the oppressed.