Military reports 3 terrorists killed in clash with Israeli forces in Gaza building; authorities investigating whether elusive arch-terrorist among dead; officials note no indications of hostages on site
I find Israel’s methods abhorrent, but when I ask myself, are Palestinians better off than they were on October 6th 2023? Is Hamas stronger than it was a year ago? Hezbollah? The answers are all no.
Winning from a realpolitik perspective is simply “is an actor achieving their strategic aims?” So far Israel seems to be while I see no indication of that from the AoR. I think all this is really achieving in the long term for Israel is a perpetuation of generational conflict, but at the same time I’m failing to see what benefits October 7th has netted for anyone besides Bibi getting casus belli.
Hamas only exists because of the Apartheid Occupation of Israel and the daily violence that has subjected Palestinians to for generations
De-development via the Gaza Occupation
The Israeli imposed closure on Gaza began in 1991, temporarily, becoming permanent in 1993. The barrier began around Gaza around 1972.
Between July 1971 and February 1972, Sharon enjoyed considerable success. During this time, the entire Strip (apart from the Rafah area) was sealed off by a ring of security fences 53 miles in length, with few entrypoints. Today, their effects live on: there are only three points of entry to Gaza—Erez, Nahal Oz, and Rafah.
Perhaps the most dramatic and painful aspect of Sharon’s campaign was the widening of roads in the refugee camps to facilitate military access. Israel built nearly 200 miles of security roads and destroyed thousands of refugee dwellings as part of the widening process.’ In August 1971, for example, the Israeli army destroyed 7,729 rooms (approximately 2,000 houses) in three vola- tile camps, displacing 15,855 refugees: 7,217 from Jabalya, 4,836 from Shati, and 3,802 from Rafah.
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Through 1993 Israel imposed a one-way system of tariffs and duties on the importation of goods through its borders; leaving Israel for Gaza, however, no tariffs or other regulations applied. Thus, for Israeli exports to Gaza, the Strip was treated as part of Israel; but for Gazan exports to Israel, the Strip was treated as a foreign entity subject to various “non-tariff barriers.” This placed Israel at a distinct advantage for trading and limited Gaza’s access to Israeli and foreign markets. Gazans had no recourse against such policies, being totally unable to protect themselves with tariffs or exchange rate controls. Thus, they had to pay more for highly protected Israeli products than they would if they had some control over their own economy. Such policies deprived the occupied territories of significant customs revenue, estimated at $118-$176 million in 1986. (Arguably, the economic terms of the Gaza—Jericho Agreement modify the situation only slightly.')
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In a report released in May 2015, the World Bank revealed that as a result of Israel’s blockade and OPE, Gaza’s manufacturing sector shrank by as much as 60 percent over eight years while real per capita income is 31 percent lower than it was 20 years ago. The report also stated that the blockade alone is responsible for a 50 percent decrease in Gaza’s GDP since 2007. Furthermore, OPE (com- bined with the tunnel closure) exacerbated an already grave situation by reducing Gaza’s economy by an additional $460 million.
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The Gaza Strip: The Political Economy of De-Development - Third Edition by Sara M. Roy
Blockade, including Aid
Hamas began twenty years into the occupation during the first Intifada, with the goal of ending the occupation. Collective punishment has been a deliberate Israeli tactic for decades with the Dahiya doctrine. Violence such as suicide bombings and rockets escalated in response to Israeli enforcement of the occupation and apartheid.
After the ‘disengagement’ in 2007, this turned into a full blockade; where Israel has had control over the airspace, borders, and sea. Under the guise of ‘dual-use’ Israel has restricted food, allocating a minimum supply leading to over half of Gaza being food insecure; construction materials, medical supplies, and other basic necessities have also been restricted.
The blockade and Israel’s repeated military offensives have had a heavy toll on Gaza’s essential infrastructure and further debilitated its health system and economy, leaving the area in a state of perpetual humanitarian crisis. Indeed, Israel’s collective punishment of Gaza’s civilian population, the majority of whom are children, has created conditions inimical to human life due to shortages of housing, potable water and electricity, and lack of access to essential medicines and medical care, food, educational equipment and building materials.
I mean Israel isn’t accomplishing their strategix goals either, because they don’t really have any except genocide. There’s a reason anyone with half a brain is calling this war a massive failure for Israel on multiple fronts.
but at the same time I’m failing to see what benefits October 7th has netted for anyone besides Bibi getting casus belli.
It netted Palestinians more international support than the past 20 years combined. Israel is winning on the ground, but historians will point to October 7th and the resulting Gaza genocide as the beginning of the end for Israel.
Elimination of AoR leadership was absolutely a strategic goal for Israel. Hopefully increased support for Palestine leads to concrete help for Palestinians, but as far as I can tell so far all it has netted them is a UN general assembly seat. May very well be overlooking something, admittedly. I will also concede that it’s too early to really see the downstream impacts of the war. That said, looking over the history of all the wars and intifadas in the region, I’m not sure I can point to any that didn’t weaken the Palestinian position while strengthening the Israeli one.
Elimination of AoR leadership was absolutely a strategic goal for Israel.
I see, but was it a logical goal? Seems like a whack a mole situation that does nothing but create martyrs.
That said, looking over the history of all the wars and intifadas in the region, I’m not sure I can point to any that didn’t weaken the Palestinian position while strengthening the Israeli one.
I’d say the first Intifada did a lot for Palestinians (until Netanyahu destroyed the Oslo Accords, anyway), but that aside: You’re looking at this too much like a conventional conflict between two sides where the stronger wins. I mean, that’s not completely inaccurate, but you’re forgetting that Israel can only do all this because it has an absolutely vital lifeline in its relationship with the West. Remove that and the whole thing will come apart. The days where Israel singlehandedly dominated the region like in 1949 and 1967 (with Western intelligence, but that aside) are gone; now it’s all about their relationship with the West. And in that West, you have the majority of people against continuing that relationship. And what’s more, that majority is leaning towards younger people who will grow up and raise their kids with their image of Israel framed by their actions in the past year. Politicians are finding it hard to publicly associate with Israel, with Biden being rightly considered a fucking buffoon for doing so. You have large swathes of people opposing Israeli actions enough it’s considered one of the Harris campaign largest hurdles. As you said, Palestine didn’t directly gain much (they did gain a massive rise in support for BDS, for example, so not nothing), but Israel lost a lot and it’s only going to lose more as time goes on and the effects of their current actions cement themselves in Western collective consciousness. Israel gained the upper hand in this conflict by gaining Western support, and they’ll lose it by losing Western support. This trend has been progressing for the past 20 or so years, but Israeli actions post October 7th accelerated it significantly.
I find Israel’s methods abhorrent, but when I ask myself, are Palestinians better off than they were on October 6th 2023? Is Hamas stronger than it was a year ago? Hezbollah? The answers are all no.
Winning from a realpolitik perspective is simply “is an actor achieving their strategic aims?” So far Israel seems to be while I see no indication of that from the AoR. I think all this is really achieving in the long term for Israel is a perpetuation of generational conflict, but at the same time I’m failing to see what benefits October 7th has netted for anyone besides Bibi getting casus belli.
All the dead Palestinians sure aren’t better off.
If they were Hamas terrorists, the world is better off without them.
Hamas only exists because of the Apartheid Occupation of Israel and the daily violence that has subjected Palestinians to for generations
De-development via the Gaza Occupation
The Israeli imposed closure on Gaza began in 1991, temporarily, becoming permanent in 1993. The barrier began around Gaza around 1972.
Page 402
The Gaza Strip: The Political Economy of De-Development - Third Edition by Sara M. Roy
Blockade, including Aid
Hamas began twenty years into the occupation during the first Intifada, with the goal of ending the occupation. Collective punishment has been a deliberate Israeli tactic for decades with the Dahiya doctrine. Violence such as suicide bombings and rockets escalated in response to Israeli enforcement of the occupation and apartheid.
After the ‘disengagement’ in 2007, this turned into a full blockade; where Israel has had control over the airspace, borders, and sea. Under the guise of ‘dual-use’ Israel has restricted food, allocating a minimum supply leading to over half of Gaza being food insecure; construction materials, medical supplies, and other basic necessities have also been restricted.
I mean Israel isn’t accomplishing their strategix goals either, because they don’t really have any except genocide. There’s a reason anyone with half a brain is calling this war a massive failure for Israel on multiple fronts.
It netted Palestinians more international support than the past 20 years combined. Israel is winning on the ground, but historians will point to October 7th and the resulting Gaza genocide as the beginning of the end for Israel.
Elimination of AoR leadership was absolutely a strategic goal for Israel. Hopefully increased support for Palestine leads to concrete help for Palestinians, but as far as I can tell so far all it has netted them is a UN general assembly seat. May very well be overlooking something, admittedly. I will also concede that it’s too early to really see the downstream impacts of the war. That said, looking over the history of all the wars and intifadas in the region, I’m not sure I can point to any that didn’t weaken the Palestinian position while strengthening the Israeli one.
I see, but was it a logical goal? Seems like a whack a mole situation that does nothing but create martyrs.
I’d say the first Intifada did a lot for Palestinians (until Netanyahu destroyed the Oslo Accords, anyway), but that aside: You’re looking at this too much like a conventional conflict between two sides where the stronger wins. I mean, that’s not completely inaccurate, but you’re forgetting that Israel can only do all this because it has an absolutely vital lifeline in its relationship with the West. Remove that and the whole thing will come apart. The days where Israel singlehandedly dominated the region like in 1949 and 1967 (with Western intelligence, but that aside) are gone; now it’s all about their relationship with the West. And in that West, you have the majority of people against continuing that relationship. And what’s more, that majority is leaning towards younger people who will grow up and raise their kids with their image of Israel framed by their actions in the past year. Politicians are finding it hard to publicly associate with Israel, with Biden being rightly considered a fucking buffoon for doing so. You have large swathes of people opposing Israeli actions enough it’s considered one of the Harris campaign largest hurdles. As you said, Palestine didn’t directly gain much (they did gain a massive rise in support for BDS, for example, so not nothing), but Israel lost a lot and it’s only going to lose more as time goes on and the effects of their current actions cement themselves in Western collective consciousness. Israel gained the upper hand in this conflict by gaining Western support, and they’ll lose it by losing Western support. This trend has been progressing for the past 20 or so years, but Israeli actions post October 7th accelerated it significantly.
Increased BDS support is a good call out