The findings by a Palestinian pollster signal more difficulties ahead for the Biden administration’s postwar vision for Gaza and raise questions about Israel’s stated goal of ending Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.
Washington has called for the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, currently led by Abbas, to eventually assume control of Gaza and run both territories as a precursor to statehood. U.S. officials have said the PA must be revitalized, without letting on whether this would mean leadership changes.
The PA administers pockets of the Israeli-occupied West Bank and has governed Gaza until a takeover by Hamas militants in 2007. The Palestinians have not held elections since 2006 when Hamas won a parliamentary majority.
Yeah, no, I don’t think I’m gonna play apologist for the opinion that “Hundreds of Israeli civilians had it coming for the crime of existing, I’m glad that they were gunned down by a terrorist attack, this isn’t a war crime in the least.”
That kind of “But they’ve been living in fear! It’s different!” justification is the same shit Israel has used throughout its history to justify its atrocities, and it’s no more valid in the mouth of Israel than it is in Palestine’s.
You’re missing the point. For whatever it’s worth, I do agree with what you’ve written here. But what I’m talking about is perspective in understanding why the opinion polls shows the numbers they do.
What I’m NOT talking about is it being an excuse for behaviour. Surely you can understand why attitudes and opinions might differ between geographic regions and due to history.
Get off your soapbox, and try to understand why people think the way they do. You may come closer to actually understanding the nuances of reality instead of cocooning yourself in talking points. It’s all about relative perspective if you want to understand numbers being thrown around
Edit:
Just to be more clear, what I’m talking about is the difference between
“Hundreds of Israeli civilians had it coming for the crime of existing, I’m glad that they were gunned down by a terrorist attack, this isn’t a war crime in the least.”
And
“Hundreds of civilians have been killed for years, I’ve seen it happening and nothing has changed over a reasonable period of time. I guess this isn’t a war crime.”
‘Understanding why’ and ‘playing apologist for’ are two entirely different games. I understand why the Nazis garnered support in Weimar Germany. I understand why the Israeli security state developed and has such wide support amongst Israelis. I understand why Palestinians support terrorism while locked in a purgatory of occupation and imprisonment.
I’m not going to play apologist for them. I’m not going to sit here and say “Oh, I guess that’s a little bad, but it’s okay, because they’re suffering too.”
Supporting war crimes is horrifying. “They’ve had atrocities inflicted on them often too!”, yeah, and so have the Israelis, and yet when Israeli polls come out with horrifying numbers like “70%+ of Israelis support bombing Palestinian civilians”, I’m aghast at that horrific shit too.
It’s not okay. It’s not to be justified.
Man, I don’t know what you think I’m doing here. What talking points am I cocooning myself in? Please, give an example.