Quote:
Originally Posted by Wigs
If you call controlling everything that goes into and out of a cage, including humans fairly generous. Gazans have been cut off from the rest of Palestinians for 17 years, not to mention the rest of the world!
Israel cut off water and electricity to Gaza with the flip of a switch.
Don't act like Gaza had autonomy. Autonomy within a cage is not the same thing. Israel denies Palestinians of basic human rights and controls near every aspect of daily life, even from "outside the walls" that failed miserably and gave Israelis a false sense of security.
Many Gaza residents cannot even get travel permits to visit friends and family in the West Bank, let alone leave 140 sq miles.
Many Gaza residents are refused Israeli work permits even though they have skills that Israel needs and can make a lot more money outside the walls of Gaza
They have no airport (blown up by Israel in 2001), no seaport. Israel dictates how far they can fish or use their boat in the Mediterranean.
All Palestinians, if they get travel permits/visas have to go all the way to Jordan just to fly.
Was it foolish to elect Hamas, indeed. They were listed as "Change and Reform" party on the ballot and not Hamas or terrorist organization. Once Hamas got control they strong armed Fatah/Palestinian Authority out of Gaza entirely.
|
By all accounts that was not the outcome the Israelis were looking for. They withdrew the troops and settlements, left the infrastructure, didn’t interfere with the border crossing with Egypt. Gaza was given the opportunity to be a non-violent neighbor of Israel. Instead they elected Hamas, which has spent 20 years building tunnels, bombs, rockets, and plotting the murder of innocent civilians.