We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
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Boycott Israel. It's a great idea if you're angry at Israel for developing a strong economy and thriving culture. You may be upset at them for invading Gaza, and you can support the right for Palestine to have their own nation. Truth be told, Israel and the UN have offered Palestine a nation several times, and each time been rebuffed. Israel also isn't happy about returning to Gaza. Remember they removed all Israeli settlers, and the IDF, years ago with an understanding that it would be demilitarized. Funny how that worked out.
Point is, for as much aid and support Palestinians have received, they've not achieved anywhere near the development that Israel has. There are a few ways to think about that.
First you can blame Israel for "keeping them down." This, of course, is nonsense. Playing the victim card is always the easy path for people who don't want to apply rigor or effort. I've been to Israel. Spent a week working there, and saw many Palestinians and Muslims living in Israel happily and free. One who I happened to work with (at an Israeli start up) pointed out that the best way to compare the Palestine situation is to compare it to the blacks in the US. But, he pointed out, there are clear differences. Still, there is nothing holding them back, inasmuch as there is nothing holding back black people in the US. Of course, the experience of each would provide you with some examples of what they believe holds them back. I'm not going to say who is correct. I can easily point to many instances where my future was 'held back' by a variety of things. None were my ethnicity. So I won't comment further on this - I'm neither Palestinian or black - but my guess is we can all make excuses if we really want some. Blaming others is chickens--t and an easy path to avoid thinking.
Another path is to claim Palestinians lack, or are deprived of, education. I find this a little odd, too. Many would often protest on my campus as far back as 1980. I'm not sure how they arrived on campus if they were being deprived. I know education is strongly endorsed in their families. Education is funny, though. Some of the best educated people I know aren't immune to falling for, endorsing, or perpetrating "misinformation". So being educated doesn't necessarily mean knowing truth or having wisdom. If it did, then blaming Israel or blaming education levels wouldn't be a tactic I'd apply.
You could blame the lack of infrastructure and support. Palestine receives massive amounts of humanitarian aid and support, though. Infrastructure in Gaza has be put in multiple times. Strangely, it seems to disappear. Pipes get pulled up and converted into rockets and money is often diverted for weapons. I wonder what would happen if these investments were utilized for productivity rather than warfare? I imagine Gaza could develop a lot more quickly? Nah, that's crazy talk. Better to have the weapons to 'defend' against those nasty Israelis, who seem to bomb Gaza every time it bombs them.
Meanwhile, Israel keeps moving forward. If you haven't watched Fauda, I recommend doing so. It's an Israeli program about undercover operators. It happens to be one of the most popular series in the Mid East. There is an excellent point, about midway through the series, where a former PLO terrorist, now PLA authority, takes his son to lunch. The son is considering joining the extremists. With his credentials, he travels unencumbered through Israel and they have lunch by the Mediterranean. He points out the buildings and asks the son what he sees. The son replies he's not sure - targets? The father says, no. These are homes for people who just want to live their lives. That Israel has developed businesses (see link above), that Israel is the most Western nation in the region. They were building while Palestine was trying to destroy. He told his son the Israelis aren't leaving, so the best option was to try and find a way to live in peace with them. For what it's worth, Israelis often look bad in Fauda. I give the producers credit for putting forth a message which points out that engaging in distasteful behaviors are simply part of what is required to push back against extremists bent on your destruction.
So go ahead, and boycott Israel. It's pretty hard to do today. Much of what has been developed there is in heavy use now. My reason for visiting was because of a now massively popular software program which they'd developed. My firm purchased it and sent me there to help develop it further. Today a lot of what we use in that space today is the result of work done in Tel Aviv. I happened to be there during the Intifada. During Passover. It was a great experience.
Ultimately, if Palestinians, or Hamas and Hezbollah in particular, REALLY WANT to stop Israel, the best way would be to outdo them in the market. Develop your nation, develop your economy, develop your products. The rest of the Mid East, so heavily reliant on oil, is realizing oil can't last and is diversifying as rapidly as possible. Single resource economies, even if it's a great resource like oil, eventually hit a breaking point. They've opted to play catch up in the best way possible. Why hasn't Palestine? Hamas and Hezbollah.
Hamas and Hezbollah are stuck in the past. They aren't the future. That's why events like October 7 are so hideous. They prove only that these groups are not Palestine, nor are they Palestine's future. They are anchors holding the people back. Saying "I support Palestine" is fine - so do most people, so does Israel. What Israel asks in return is peace and opportunity. Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran by default, say "NO! We want peace and opportunity, but without Jews and Israel." That is the cornerstone of their efforts.
While each loss of civilian life in Gaza is a stark tragedy, who is really to blame for the loss of those lives? I wouldn't blame Israel, which goes out of its way to implore residents to leave prior to its attacks. They know what the outcome will be. Sadly, Hamas is not unlike the Mob. They use and abuse citizens for their own ends and means. They use human shields. They need to make it look like terrorism by forcing people to stay. That's how they develop their PR.
Sure, boycott Israel. But I prefer understanding the history and motivations behind what is happening there. The more I've learned, the less I blame Israel. I don't blame Palestinians, either, most of whom just want to live their lives in peace. I blame criminals and murderers who just want power on their own terms.
