The Palestinians depend on Israel for electricity, water and fuel and the whole world expects Israel to keep the Palestinians supplied with these essentials. If Gaza is under Israeli occupation, then how can it be said that Hamas is in control, and how is it that the Palestinians can keep "launching near-daily Kassam rockets" into Israel. If Gaza is under occupation, why does Israel stand accused of 'incursions'? Again, if Gaza is under occupation, who are the Palestinians to be making demands for concessions as a pre-requisite to peace?
The Irony of the Economic Situation in Gaza
by R.P. BenDedek
(Published in 2007 these issues are still current in 2012)
The 2011 Hamas/Fatah Peace Accord designed to facilitate the September General Assembly recognition of Palestinian Statehood makes the content of this article as relevant today as when it was first written. - R.P. BenDedek
Nothing but Irony!
Two articles have been published today, one in the New York Times (Sept 19, 2007), written by Steve Erlanger, entitled: Isolation of Gaza Chokes Off Trade, and one in the Jerusalem Post entitled: Move enables Israel to cut off electricity, water and fuel. (Title Changed Here.) Between the two articles, one cannot help but notice the irony in the current situation in Gaza.
The New York Times article is about a large clothing business and an arms smuggling business that are suffering in Gaza because the crossings with Israel have been closed since June. The economic impact of these closures is dramatic.
According to Faysal G. Shawa of the Palestinian Businessmen Association, 70,000 workers in the private sector have lost their jobs since June; 85 percent of factories are shut or operating at less than 20 percent capacity; and the loss from agricultural exports alone since June is $16 million.
The [Israeli] security cabinet declared the Gaza Strip an enemy entity on Wednesday, enabling Israel to cut off vital electricity, water and fuel supplies, if it so chooses...
Hamas is a terrorist organization that has taken control of the Gaza Strip and turned it into hostile territory. This organization engages in hostile activity against the State of Israel and its citizens and bears responsibility for this activity.
The ironies, the ones that few would think about while their hearts are bleeding for the poor Palestinians are:
Irony No. 1.
The Palestinians depend on Israel for electricity, water and fuel and the whole world expects Israel to keep the Palestinians supplied with these essentials.
Following the decision, a UN official called the move problematic, telling Army Radio that since Gaza was still under Israeli occupation and Israel controlled all crossings in and out of the area, collective punishment of all Gaza residents would constitute a violation of international law. (JPost)
For a state that is dependant upon Israel, the Palestinians are nevertheless demanding "far-reaching" concessions from Israel and the US as a precondition to attending the US-sponsored Middle East peace conference"
Irony No. 2.
If Gaza is under Israeli occupation, then how can it be said that Hamas is in control, and how is it that the Palestinians can keep "launching near-daily Kassam rockets" into Israel. If Gaza is under occupation, why does Israel stand accused of 'incursions'? Again, if Gaza is under occupation, who are the Palestinians to be making demands for concessions as a pre-requisite to peace?
Irony No. 3.
While our hearts bleed for the economic suffering of the Palestinians caused by the closing of the crossings, according to the clothing manufacturer who laid off 720 workers and who is currently losing a lot of money, his partners who are Israelis, are also losing a lot of money. Closed borders never affect just one side. The irony is that both Israel and Gaza suffer economically because of the closed border crossings. When one must make a choice between security and economics, security always wins.
Israel, upon whom the Palestinians rely for daily needs, employment and economic stability, are the enemy of the Palestinians. What other country in history has ever been required to provide all the basic necessities to enable their enemy to attack and murder them?
Irony No. 4.
Amongst those who are suffering economic loss since Hamas took power, are the arms smugglers. They are losing money because Hamas does not want arms falling into the hands of Fatah.
One reason is Hamas's near-monopoly on guns and ammunition, which is destroying the less salubrious arms-smuggling business of Muhammad, 37, who lives in Rafah. His father dug one of the first tunnels between Gaza and Egypt in 1984, Muhammad said proudly - about 160 feet, to smuggle gold and spare parts.
The irony of the situation is that while the border crossings stay closed, the ability of the Gazans to wage war against Israel is lessened. Any demand to reverse this situation, is a demand that supports continued warfare, via non existent smuggling of arms.
Irony No. 5.
Up until now, Israeli claims about arms smuggling have been denied, (Reuters Feb 8 2007: Israel says Egypt is letting arms into Gaza) but apparently Hamas is now working with the Egyptians to destroy unauthorized tunnels - thus keeping control of the arms. The irony is that Egypt is now ensuring that what was not occurring will be stopped.
Irony No. 6.
Egypt, in addition to replacing all security officers who have previously been bribed, "is clearing almost 1,000 feet of houses from the Egyptian side of Rafah" - "When Israel cleared Palestinian houses in Rafah to stop smuggling tunnels, there was an international uproar (Here) and many demonstrations. Will there be demonstrations in Egypt? [asks the arms dealer in the New York Times article.] The irony is that bleeding hearts only cry for Palestinians when they suffer at the hands of Israelis. Arabs and other Muslims can do whatever they like. It is only the Israelis who must not act like Arabs and Muslims.
Irony No. 7.
Fatah are happy with the economic collapse of Gaza because it empowers 'Fatah'. The irony being that Palestinian leaders could care less about the Palestinian people than the western anti-Israel bleeding hearts. Well that is not entirely true - see Irony No. 6.
Irony No.8
Quoting the New York Times: 'Fatah is paying Palestinian Authority workers to stay at home and not work for Hamas,' Mr. Shawa said. 'Hamas is paying its own people. But no one is paying the workers of the private sector. The ones who live on aid do nothing, and the ones who are working get nothing. Soon we'll all be aid-dependent, and I hate it; it's destroying us.' See Irony No.1 and note that the money pouring into the coffers of both Hamas and Fatah come via the United States, The United Nations, The European Union and Israel. Both Gaza and the West bank have always been aid dependent.
Whilst there can be no doubting that the Israel/Palestine situation is complex, the inescapable truth is the biggest irony of all. More than everything that the Palestinians are now fighting for, was freely available to them in 1948, but they did not want it. Everything lost since that time, was only lost because of Arab aggression toward Israel.
Butt butt butt butt butt is something that goats do. But but but but but is something that hidden agendas say. The people of Palestine have been the fodder for the political ambitions of power hungry Arabs for 59 years now, and still everyone blames Israel for Palestinian misery.
Blame the Mandate, blame the League of Nations, Blame England, blame the Turks who lost Palestine in the first place, or put the blame where it belongs; on a bunch of Arab leaders who never gave a damn about the Palestinians, and anti-semitism disguised within political correctness as 'political viewpoints'; which encourage those same Arab leaders to keep sacrificing the blood of the ordinary Palestinians.
If one actually paid attention to the voices of the ordinary Gazan citizen, one would know that they consider Gaza under Hamas rule to be more personally dangerous to them, than even the 1948 war with Israel. (Different Enemy - Same Language.) What does this tell one about the differences that exist between the way Palestinian Factions behave, and the way Israelis behave?
Perhaps the Palestinians should learn the old maxim: 'Don't bite the hand that feeds you!' Perhaps the politically correct should learn a more modern maxim: 'People before political agendas!'
Update
Sep 21, 2007Army weighs 'complete' Gaza pullout By YAAKOV KATZ
A day after the cabinet defined the Gaza Strip as "hostile territory," The Jerusalem Post learned Thursday that the IDF is working on a proposal that calls for a "complete disengagement" from the Gaza Strip - involving the closure of all border crossings with Israel and the transfer of all responsibility over the Palestinian territory to Egypt.
According to the proposal, which officials stressed was in its early stages, Israel would completely disconnect from Gaza by closing off the Erez, Karni, Sufa and Kerem Shalom crossings and instead directing humanitarian organizations to work with Egypt.
Meanwhile Thursday, defense officials met to discuss the practical implications of the security cabinet's decision on Wednesday to designate Gaza as hostile territory..
"Until now, we risked out lives to keep the crossings open," an official from the Defense Ministry explained. "From now on, if they attack we will just close the crossing for several days."
Feb 2008 update
Egypt looking for four terrorists Egyptian security forces were looking for four Palestinians on Saturday who slipped into the country from the Gaza Strip the previous day and were suspected of planning suicide attacks against resorts in the Sinai Peninsula, a local security official said.
The search follows the arrests of 15 Palestinians over the past few days who were caught carrying weapons and explosives in the town of el-Arish, located some 35 kilometers from the border, and other remote parts of the Sinai desert.
The border breach came several days after Israel had imposed a complete blockade on Gaza, with Egyptian backing, in response to a rocket barrage from Gaza on the western Negev.
'Over our dead bodies' : As far as Mubarak is concerned, the Gaza Strip, which has been nothing but a curse to all those who tried to govern it, should return to being Israel's problem.
The UNHRC's resolution effectively delegitimized Israel's right to exist by denying that it has a right to defend its territory and its people from illegal aggression carried out by an illegal terrorist organization.
Mohamed ElBaradei, the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency's virulently anti-Israel chairman, announced a deal has been reached between Iran and the US, Russia and France regarding Iran's nuclear program.
But now that the administration has agreed to an accord that effectively transforms America into a facilitator of Iran's nuclear weapons program, the time has come for Israel to start voicing its objections.
Colonel Richard Kemp (the former commander of British forces in Afghanistan), who said, "From my knowledge of the IDF and from the extent to which I have been following the current operation, I do not think there has ever been a time in the history of warfare when an army has made more efforts to reduce civil casualties and deaths of innocent people than the IDF is doing today in Gaza."
Every time someone writes, speaks of ‘Palestinians’ a myth is reinforced
Israel eventually negotiated an armistice in 1949...
Arabs who left homes and property in Israel and many from other countries who joined Arab armies and did not want to return, remained in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, most as "refugees" under the care of UNRWA.
This heterogeneous population was called "Arab refugees," not "Palestinians," because at the time there was no such group, or people.
called "Arab refugees" was because there were many other refugees in Palestine,.. Hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees from Arab countries streamed into Israel. UNRWA offered no aid...
The designation "Palestinian" did not become widely accepted until after the war in 1967...
As the PLO launched mega-terrorist attacks around the world, "Palestinianism" became accepted, backed by the Arab League, Muslim and "non-aligned" countries, and the United Nations.
As the proportion of anti-Israel countries in the UN grew, "Palestinians" were given more and more recognition, support and legitimacy, unlike any other group.
And the fraud worked! It worked so well because the world's media accepted the Palestinians' self-definition and their cause.
Every time someone writes or speaks of "Palestinians" it reinforces this myth.
I was standing in that holiest of places, which generations of Jews for 2,000 years could only dream of visiting, I was forbidden to pray. Simply moving my lips in whispered prayer could be grounds for removal. Why? Because I am a Jew. And only a Muslim can pray on the holiest site in Judaism. A Jew may not.
DURING THE War of Independence in 1948, the Old City of Jerusalem fell to the Jordanians. Nearly 1,500 Jews, including many women and children, were killed.
In June 1967, when Egypt, Syria and Jordan embarked on a war to annihilate the Jewish state, Israel recaptured Jerusalem's Old City.
But then, in a mind-boggling display of attempted appeasement of an enemy that just days before had sought Israel's destruction, defense minister Moshe Dayan decided to allow the Muslim religious council, the Wakf, to retain administrative authority over the Temple Mount. Thus, a truly bizarre and unacceptable situation developed.
I think it is time for us to realise that there is something going on in the United Nations that is working within an agenda far removed from Democratic Principles and Personal Freedoms that we expect.
Definition: King's Calendar Chronological Research
The Premise: Between the 5th and 3rd centuries BCE (but continuing down to at least 104 BCE), Sectarian redactors transcribed the legitimate 'solar year' chronological records of Israel and Judah, into an artificial form, with listed years as each comprised of 12 months of 4 weeks of 7 days, or 336 days per year, thus creating a 13th artificial year where 12 solar years existed.
When the Synchronous Chronological Data provided in the Books of Kings and Chronicles for the Divided Kingdom Period are measured in years of 336 days, the synchronisms actually align. [Refer to Appendix 5. to see how it synchronises the Divided Kingdom Period]
About the KingsCalendar Publisher
R.P.BenDedek is the owner and Editor of KingsCalendar.com which was originally set up to publicize his research results into the Chronology of Ancient Israel. Those results were published under the title: 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran'.
Whilst there have been many attempts to solve the chronological riddle of the Bible's synchronisms of reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah and their synchronism with other Ancient Near Eastern Nations, no other research is based on a simple mathematical formula which could, if it is incorrect, be disproved easily. To date, no one has been able to dismiss the mathematical results of this research.
Free to air Academic articles set forth Apologetics for and results of his discovery of an "artificial chronological scheme" running through the Bible, Josephus, the Damascus Documents of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Seder Olam Rabbah.
During the current economic downturn, this book has been drastically reduced in price but will eventually rise as the economy improves.
Check the Chapter Precis Page to see details of each chapter and to gain access to the Four Free to Air Chapters
R.P. BenDedek writes social commentaries and photographic 'Stories from China' both at KingsCalendar, and as a contributing columnist at Magic City Morning Star News in Maine USA.
(He has been teaching Conversational English in China since 2003 and currently (2013) is teaching in Suzhou City Jiangsu Province.)
