generalspeaking

Reaping The Whirlwind

It's been hazarded that the aerial attack on Gaza by the Israel Defence Forces was unanticipated. That it took the Hamas leadership by surprise. One can only wonder how this could be, since they were warned repeatedly that Israel would refrain from taking action for just so long, and no more. The leadership of Hamas is, in any event, delusional, obviously of the opinion that they can assault Israel and its citizens at will, and suffer no consequences. Their delusion goes further; to an unshakeable belief in the inviolability of their cause.

That being - despite their passionate claims to the contrary - not to defend the right of the Palestinian people to reclaim their land, illegally taken from them by the interloping Jews, but to incinerate and destroy Israel as a prelude to installing within the territory an Islamist, fundamentalist sharia governance. The Palestinians, more secular in nature than most of the Arab world, had little real idea what they were about when they exercised their option to vote for Hamas, fed up as they were with Fatah which had promised much and delivered little.

Now they're stuck with Hamas, rigidly authoritarian, and rabidly Islamist, intent on bringing one calamity after another raining down on the heads of the Palestinian public. It's a toss-up; how brightly burns their hatred for Israel, as opposed to their scorn for Fatah, balanced against their fear and distrust of Hamas. This is the defence and the future they chose, however unwisely. In the heat of the moment, who thinks of consequences? They've had ample opportunity to ruminate on the consequences of rash decisions, at the present time.

After the Israeli pull-out from Gaza, tearing Israeli settlers away from their prosperous farms and beautifully landscaped properties, their synagogues and their beachfront parks, Gazans had the opportunity to make the most of their newfound autonomy, to take possession of greenhouses left to them, to prosper and develop a green industry for export. Instead, in a fury of hatred, everything was trashed, destroyed, and they embarked on an orgy of further anarchic internal destabilization.

They enriched the ennui of their lives by increasing the rocket assaults across the border. And when they embraced the political leadership of Hamas because of their gratitude that the 'organization' of the group began to bring stability to the area, and their trust that the care demonstrated for their well being was sincere and would lead inevitably to a better life for all concerned, they were complacent in their ascendancy. Just as they've been complacent for the last 60 years, about accepting Western charity; none being offered by the Arab world.

West Bank Palestinians are somewhat different in outlook, orientation and values than their Gazan counterparts. They are more industrious, self-availing, orderly and responsible. They appear less emotionally friable, more capable of fending for themselves, though no less demanding of their leaders to shape up. While they suffer too under the loss of dignity inherent in the presence of a military force controlling their everyday existence through restrictions, they don't live in dire poverty. Aggression toward Israel has been more muted, thanks to the protective wall.

Hamas has brought to the Gaza Strip the condition of life under siege, with the privations that go along with that situation. There are few opportunities for people to advance themselves through their own efforts. Unemployment is rife, dismal anxieties prevail. Their lives are rigidly controlled by the Islamists who claim to be their defenders, while carefully laying the groundwork for the population to be in the line of defensive fire from the military of a country that has been provoked far too often.

Palestinian civilians in Gaza cannot publicly criticize their leadership on pain of being identified as traitors. Traitors are imprisoned, and if they are deemed as well to be informers, complicit with Israeli intelligence, their lives are forfeit. The Palestinians in Gaza live a furtive life of self-denial. Regardless of how they truly feel about their oppressors - Hamas and Israel both - they're incapable of doing anything that would relieve them of their untenable lifestyles. They have yet to recognize themselves as hostages to Islamist ambitions.

They've inadvertently painted themselves into a very dark corner of existence. Their only hopes lie with the international community which sees their plight as horrendous and inexcusable, blaming Israel for everything that befalls the Palestinians. But this is a situation that the Palestinians can thank themselves for. They've allowed themselves to be placed in this truly unfortunate situation. They have always seen themselves as victims, and they have allowed themselves to be victimized by their own.

Until and unless the population somehow enlightens themselves to the fact that they can either choose to relax their deleterious attitude of grievance, revenge and hatred, and resolve that a normal life is simply far more preferable than eking out a dark existence because they've allowed their bitterness to blight their psyches, nothing will change for them.

Labels: Justice, Middle East, Troublespots

posted by Pieface @ Friday, January 02, 2009