Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Let's Talk About Gaza, Baby

Gaza is burning.

What else is new? An New Year email from a charity I support in the West Bank is all about Gaza of course, because that's where the action is, that's what gets the moneys flowing in so you're crazy not to write about Gaza, even if your org. doesn't exist in Gaza. Never mind that.

Over at the Guardian by way of the Nation, Naomi Klein's gone all pro-boycott and divestment and sanctions, and backs it up with the example of a Brit telecom that's shut off business with Israel since this latest invasion began 27 December '08. Just a practical business decision, she points out, given the general British feelings about Israel in and its occupying and invading, proving that boycotts aren't only for the bleeding heart liberals, and cites a coalition of Israeli academics etc. calling for a trade boycott themselves.
Apparently trade with Canada has risen by 45% since last year - thanks to the Canadian free trade deal with Israel. And they've got one with Merosur now too!

It all has really gone on too long, this Israeli need to crush all opposition to it, be it Hezbollah or Hamas or whoever. It is a hyper-aggressive strategy that constantly claims all terror will stop through overwhelming lethal force. Just slaughter enough opponents and their resistance ideology will dry up and blow away - nothing could be further from the truth in fact, and eight wars and more sit there reminding us. All Israel does is further anathematize itself to the rest of the world and make the Hamas-style line of reasoning make more and more sense.

Why concede to Israel when its principal goal is to obliterate you? Shaheeds (martyrs) only raise the bar of resistance, obligating everyone else to do the same. Hamas has ambitious goals that go well beyond ending blockades on Gaza's borders. Even beyond a viable Palestinian state. They want a 1947 Palestine with Muslim sharia law in full effect and no Jews in sight. So why make peace in Gaza?
Since Hamas won the last Palestinian election, Israel has been stomping all over them, throwing their elected politicians in prison, forbidding their travel to the national assembly in Ramallah, and of late bombing the Gazan Assembly building to bits. All for a few poorly aimed rockets into southern Israel. The only thing that will break Hamas popularity is good conditions in Gaza, to the point where its jihad against Israel will seem less and less relevant.

Does this mean Hamas actually wins politically by losing militarily as Gaza is smashed to smithereens? Yes.

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