Decisions, Decisions
The efficacy of a Hamas-led government in providing wherewithal for Palestinians living within the Gaza Strip may appear at times to leave something to be desired. There are those Gazans, for example, who chafe at the militant direction in which their everyday lives have been straitened. Who may feel some little resentment at the newly-established fact that they are being led by a Sharia-impacting group dedicated to turning Gaza from secular to divine rule.
A theistic-ruled social environment that will inform every aspect of their lives, henceforth. Delivering them from the social malaise of the unbelievers who succumb to the allure of all things blasphemous and scorned by the pious. In short, hauling them back to another space, another place in time and history; re-structuring their values more in keeping with God's order.
The first order of the day then, is to learn to get along without certain modern conveniences. A careful re-ordering of expectations, so to speak. For example, power that permits the illumination of interiors, the operation of household appliances, night-time street lighting and energy to operate cash registers, computers, to bring light to the darkness of civil infrastructure. Cut off.
Well, perhaps only temporarily. But in the doing a manifestation of the lack of respect in which Hamas is held by outside sources as a result of its obduracy in refusing to recognize the legitimacy of Gaza's Jewish neighbours. The world may from time to time experience its own eruptions of suspicion and dislike against Jews in general, but it usually comes to its senses and accepts that Jews will be Jews and they will insist on existing.
They do, however, look askance at a collective dedicated to the utter extirpation of a significant portion of the world population; not in numbers so much but in recognition of the historic contribution this ethnic, social, cultural, religious group has made to the betterment of world society. Thus did the European Union determine it would resist paying for fuel for Gaza, as to continue to do so would be construed as supporting Hamas.
And, understandably, without due payment, the supplier, an Israeli energy supply company, cut off supplies at source. As why on earth, even for humanitarian reasons, would the supplier continue to ensure that energy flowed uninterrupted and unpaid for, into Gaza? There's always the possibility that a few days of frustrated inconvenience can be instrumental in focusing the mind on reality.
For consider this: Hamas-affiliated terrorists see nothing amiss in firing rockets at the Rothenberg Power Station situated in Ashkelon, that very infrastructure through which a major proportion of Gaza's energy needs flow. Cutting off whose nose to spite whose face? How utterly stupid, after all, is a group that sees utility in sniping at workers repairing a supply line going directly into Gaza?
Hamas is improvidently imbecilic enough to launch rockets at the energy supplier, to fire at energy workers, and they anticipate that energy will flow unrestricted to fulfil their needs? So Gazans need look no further than the madcap antics of their brave protectors when their electricity has been cut and they swelter in the heat, watch perishables spoil and lament that their water pumps aren't working.
They might enquire politely, delicately, of the Hamas elite whether the claims that they're pocketing electricity revenues are indeed true. They might wish to enquire when their garbage pick-up will resume, and that would assume that Hamas is prepared to finally pay municipal workers to lift their protest strike.
Labels: Middle East, Political Realities
posted by Pieface @ Thursday, August 23, 2007
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