The other thing about this cartoon that’s so offensive is portraying the Israeli side as having estate-like homes on huge lawns. Couldn’t be further from the truth. Most Israelis live in apartments and those few who have really nice homes live in (compared to the US and Canada) relatively modest communities on modest-sized properties.
I have wondered how Gaza could possibly *not* be an economic powerhouse, because so much of it is coastline on the Mediterranean. It has so much beach frontage. Gaza could be replete with trade ports. It could be a tourist destination. Aid money pours into Gaza but really, it should be a major commerce hub. Why isn't it?
2. Branding and the Necessity to have the West fight the Israelis for the Sake of Pan-Islam
The countries surrounding Israel have launched and lost war after war in the effort to destroy the state of Israel and commit genocide on its Jewish inhabitants. They have long since come to the conclusion that if Israel is going to be destroyed, it will have to be at the hands of the West. It is very important, then, to maintain the brand of the pathetic, innocent and helpless PoorPalestinian™ who endlessly suffers at the hands of the evil Nazi Israeli Jew, in order to elicit and maintain western outrage, pity, political support, and philanthropy. So the Palestinian leadership keeps the Western aid for itself and starves its people, in order to keep those pathetic photos coming. The poverty and misery of the Palestinian is tragic and strategic, and it's also obscenely profitable to the Palestinian elites.
How can Gaza have any hope for economic success when they are taught since toddlerhood that their biggest priority should be dying as "martyrs" by killing Israelis, while their leaders who espouse this hoard the money meant to help them? The UNRWA schools need to be completely revamped.
Has anyone heard the names Munib al-Masri, Bashar al-Masri, Sabih al-Masri? Or Elias al-Arja, Talal Abu Ghazaleh, Zahi Khoury, Tarek al-Natsheh? Or Nassar Nassar?
These are the rich people of the Palestinian Authority. Millionaires and billionaires. In addition, there is Mahmoud Abbas, who has an entire government of the Authority.
And there is also international aid from Arab countries, leading world powers and international organizations.
They have all the conditions for the people of the Palestinian Authority not to live in poverty. They have self-government, finance and investment, there are businesses. They could develop the economy, create infrastructure, but the most important thing is to make their governance according to the scheme of a democratic, legal and developing state, if they want to create one, of course.
But in reality, the autonomy's self-government is more reminiscent of a feudal, clan-based entity that prefers to live off foreign investment, slave exploitation of its people, and the absence of social structures.
The lack of transparency in the autonomy's economy means that many residents live at a low standard of living, and huge resources are spent on supporting terrorism, creating a terror infrastructure, and the excessive enrichment of those in power and individual billionaires. Do you want to know where Israel is in this scheme? Many Arab businessmen work with Israeli businesses, which benefits many residents of the autonomy. Israel provides jobs for many Arabs, and Israel carries out banking operations.
Terrorism against Israel has become an industry and a source of income. Investments from Islamic extremists and pan-Arabists go toward purchasing weapons, preparing terrorist attacks, and paying terrorists convicted of terrorist attacks or the families of liquidated terrorists. And if you take an average Arab state and compare it according to the criterion of "poverty", then the Palestinian Authority will not be the poorest, nor even the tenth from the bottom.
I wrote an historical novel about settling the city of Yamit in 1975. I remember I told my Mom, We're going to have everything ! We were looking at at a desert so she said I was meshuga. When the government gifted it to Egypt, 5 years later, we had a commercial center, factories, schools, synagoges, a community pool and tennis courts....
So how many children are in the average Israeli Jewish family and how many children are in the average Palestinian family? Can you give us statistics to back opinions people share with you? Do countries with more children per family have more poverty or less poverty than countries with 2-3 children per family? W. Manion, MDPhDJDMBA
Not sure why this is important to you. Nobody “shared” information with me, these are Israelis I know, and my general knowledge/personal familiarity with Israel. Life is expensive in Israel, but quality of life is excellent. I don’t see a correlation with poverty. If you want stats, look it up.
The other thing about this cartoon that’s so offensive is portraying the Israeli side as having estate-like homes on huge lawns. Couldn’t be further from the truth. Most Israelis live in apartments and those few who have really nice homes live in (compared to the US and Canada) relatively modest communities on modest-sized properties.
1. Coastline.
I have wondered how Gaza could possibly *not* be an economic powerhouse, because so much of it is coastline on the Mediterranean. It has so much beach frontage. Gaza could be replete with trade ports. It could be a tourist destination. Aid money pours into Gaza but really, it should be a major commerce hub. Why isn't it?
2. Branding and the Necessity to have the West fight the Israelis for the Sake of Pan-Islam
The countries surrounding Israel have launched and lost war after war in the effort to destroy the state of Israel and commit genocide on its Jewish inhabitants. They have long since come to the conclusion that if Israel is going to be destroyed, it will have to be at the hands of the West. It is very important, then, to maintain the brand of the pathetic, innocent and helpless PoorPalestinian™ who endlessly suffers at the hands of the evil Nazi Israeli Jew, in order to elicit and maintain western outrage, pity, political support, and philanthropy. So the Palestinian leadership keeps the Western aid for itself and starves its people, in order to keep those pathetic photos coming. The poverty and misery of the Palestinian is tragic and strategic, and it's also obscenely profitable to the Palestinian elites.
I think this could all be made shorter by a simple comparison.
Do we blame South Korea for the poverty and oppression of North Korea?
North Koreans might. But the rest of the world understands that the government of a place bears primary responsibility for what that place is like.
Brilliant comparison.
How can Gaza have any hope for economic success when they are taught since toddlerhood that their biggest priority should be dying as "martyrs" by killing Israelis, while their leaders who espouse this hoard the money meant to help them? The UNRWA schools need to be completely revamped.
Has anyone heard the names Munib al-Masri, Bashar al-Masri, Sabih al-Masri? Or Elias al-Arja, Talal Abu Ghazaleh, Zahi Khoury, Tarek al-Natsheh? Or Nassar Nassar?
These are the rich people of the Palestinian Authority. Millionaires and billionaires. In addition, there is Mahmoud Abbas, who has an entire government of the Authority.
And there is also international aid from Arab countries, leading world powers and international organizations.
They have all the conditions for the people of the Palestinian Authority not to live in poverty. They have self-government, finance and investment, there are businesses. They could develop the economy, create infrastructure, but the most important thing is to make their governance according to the scheme of a democratic, legal and developing state, if they want to create one, of course.
But in reality, the autonomy's self-government is more reminiscent of a feudal, clan-based entity that prefers to live off foreign investment, slave exploitation of its people, and the absence of social structures.
The lack of transparency in the autonomy's economy means that many residents live at a low standard of living, and huge resources are spent on supporting terrorism, creating a terror infrastructure, and the excessive enrichment of those in power and individual billionaires. Do you want to know where Israel is in this scheme? Many Arab businessmen work with Israeli businesses, which benefits many residents of the autonomy. Israel provides jobs for many Arabs, and Israel carries out banking operations.
Terrorism against Israel has become an industry and a source of income. Investments from Islamic extremists and pan-Arabists go toward purchasing weapons, preparing terrorist attacks, and paying terrorists convicted of terrorist attacks or the families of liquidated terrorists. And if you take an average Arab state and compare it according to the criterion of "poverty", then the Palestinian Authority will not be the poorest, nor even the tenth from the bottom.
I wrote an historical novel about settling the city of Yamit in 1975. I remember I told my Mom, We're going to have everything ! We were looking at at a desert so she said I was meshuga. When the government gifted it to Egypt, 5 years later, we had a commercial center, factories, schools, synagoges, a community pool and tennis courts....
Yes…David Nirenberg’s book is an eye opener.
Isn’t true that the average Jewish family has two children while the average Palestinian family has
eight children? Could that affect the standard of living? W. Manion, MDPhDJDMBA
Actually, Israelis tend to have large families too, even secular ones.
So how many children are in the average Israeli Jewish family and how many children are in the average Palestinian family? Can you give us statistics to back opinions people share with you? Do countries with more children per family have more poverty or less poverty than countries with 2-3 children per family? W. Manion, MDPhDJDMBA
Not sure why this is important to you. Nobody “shared” information with me, these are Israelis I know, and my general knowledge/personal familiarity with Israel. Life is expensive in Israel, but quality of life is excellent. I don’t see a correlation with poverty. If you want stats, look it up.
“The sky in Gaza is black, but Qatar is always sunny.” If you haven’t seen the video, check it out.