One of the greatest tricks the media/NGO/diplomat complex ever played was convincing even hardened Western right-wingers that Gaza, pre-October 7, was in fact in a perpetual humanitarian crisis. In reality, it had a life expectancy of 75 years, and better potable water access than the West Bank or Jordan. It had a lot of poor areas, but wasn't too different than its logical developing world comps. The aid spigot did indeed build plenty of resorts, shopping centers, hospitals, universities, sporting facilities, etc. The Israeli soldiers are coming back and saying while there are lots of poor areas there are areas as nice as Israel--the homes are as big and as in good condition.
The combination of an unfree place that prevents real reporting with such a well-oiled aid machine that has every incentive to exaggerate the misery with a media/NGO/diplomat complex that wants such a story has combined to pull quite a rug over the world's eyes.
At the risk of some mild optimism; I don't see an immediately clear way that Israel comes out of this as the victor. If they go scorched earth and martyr a significant chunk of the Palestinians it will enrage the liberal west and galvanize the entirety of the muslim world. If they make concessions, it severely damages their posturing thus emboldening their opposition, à la "blood in the water".
Perhaps we will be blessed enough to witness the eradication of a pathogen rather than it evolving to a new host :)
Golda Meir was the gangster leader of a genocidal, apartheid gangster state.
Adolf Hitler, in his book, 'Mein Kampf' posited that if the Zionists ever successfully seized control
of Palestine they would turn it into a headquarters of international crime.
The man was a prophet.
One of the greatest tricks the media/NGO/diplomat complex ever played was convincing even hardened Western right-wingers that Gaza, pre-October 7, was in fact in a perpetual humanitarian crisis. In reality, it had a life expectancy of 75 years, and better potable water access than the West Bank or Jordan. It had a lot of poor areas, but wasn't too different than its logical developing world comps. The aid spigot did indeed build plenty of resorts, shopping centers, hospitals, universities, sporting facilities, etc. The Israeli soldiers are coming back and saying while there are lots of poor areas there are areas as nice as Israel--the homes are as big and as in good condition.
The combination of an unfree place that prevents real reporting with such a well-oiled aid machine that has every incentive to exaggerate the misery with a media/NGO/diplomat complex that wants such a story has combined to pull quite a rug over the world's eyes.
At the risk of some mild optimism; I don't see an immediately clear way that Israel comes out of this as the victor. If they go scorched earth and martyr a significant chunk of the Palestinians it will enrage the liberal west and galvanize the entirety of the muslim world. If they make concessions, it severely damages their posturing thus emboldening their opposition, à la "blood in the water".
Perhaps we will be blessed enough to witness the eradication of a pathogen rather than it evolving to a new host :)