Review of the News
Confused about what is really going on? Want a bottom line put in context so you can quickly understand the key turning points leading to what happened and get back to your life? Try this blog’s new quickie review of the news.
The Event: Israel Attacked Gaza on Dec 27
The Reason: To prevent Hamas from ruling Gaza effectively.
Alternatives:
A. Actually let the democratically elected Hamas try its hand at the sobering process of governing under continued Israeli oversight.
B. Persuade Egypt or the U.N. to take responsibility and give up its illegal occupation of Palestine (or perhaps just Gaza).
The Background:
Hamas participates in elections. In 2006 traditionally violence-prone Palestinian resistance group Hamas accepted the Washington/Tel Aviv invitation for it to enter the democratic process and play by their rules: it participated in Palestinian national elections…and, to the chagrin of Washington and Tel Aviv, won.
A. Actually let the democratically elected Hamas try its hand at the sobering process of governing under continued Israeli oversight.
B. Persuade Egypt or the U.N. to take responsibility and give up its illegal occupation of Palestine (or perhaps just Gaza).
The Background:
Hamas participates in elections. In 2006 traditionally violence-prone Palestinian resistance group Hamas accepted the Washington/Tel Aviv invitation for it to enter the democratic process and play by their rules: it participated in Palestinian national elections…and, to the chagrin of Washington and Tel Aviv, won.
Israel declares economic war. Unwilling to accept its own democratic rules, Israel promptly launched economic warfare against Gaza, turning it increasingly into a concentration camp for the 1.5 million residents, and provoked a split between Hamas (the electoral winner) and Fatah (the electoral loser). Collective punishment was Israel’s weapon to prevent democratically-elected Hamas from governing.
Hamas returns to violence. Prevented by Israel from ruling peacefully, Hamas lost control of the West Bank but took over Gaza. Unable to rule in the face of Israeli economic warfare against the whole population of Gaza and unable to persuade Israel to allow Gaza even basic autonomy or access to the outside world (food, energy, medicine), much less its freedom, Hamas returned to violence.
Israel attacks. Intent on preventing Hamas from creating a successful administration over Gaza, Israel abruptly intensified its combination of economic warfare plus small scale military attacks, carrying out an aerial massacre, targeting Hamas government buildings and police installations.
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