Comment by nvm0n2 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by nvm0n2 | Hacker News Reader

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> Israel's explicit, public goal is the annihilation of Palestine

No it is not. Israel got its own people out of the Gaza strip years ago and hasn't let them back in since. Israel supplies Gaza with water and electricity because Hamas prefers to spend its resources on building tunnel networks and rockets instead of power stations and water treatment works. It is also militarily superior and has nuclear weapons. If they actually decided to "annihilate" Gaza it would be a smoking pile of glass tomorrow, as the military capability is there.

> an enemy that lives next door and is indistinguishable from the citizenry

The IDF wear uniforms and are easily identifiable.

> Doing nothing is not an option

They have lots of options, including making peace with Israel. Step 1 would be to replace the government committed to its destruction, with one that is willing to talk instead of launch rockets. But the Palestinians seem to support the existing strategy.

> They have lots of options, including making peace with Israel. Step 1 would be to replace the government committed to its destruction, with one that is willing to talk instead of launch rockets.

How’s that working out for the Palestinians in the West Bank?

Obviously better than the Palestinians in Gaza? Is that in question?

I mean, the actual material living conditions in the West Bank might be better, but don’t the Gazans at least have some form of sovereignty over their land? My understanding is that there is no real independent West Bank Palestinian government that exercises security over the land and the people on it. At least not in favor of the Palestinians.

West Bank also has to suffer constant raids from the IDF in addition to settler violence. Over 100 people had already died in such raids before oct. 7 just this year. They’re land has been partitioned, there are military checkpoints they must go through when the travel inside the West Bank. Many Palestinians are arrested on a regular basis, sometimes without any charges (administrative detention).

Settler violence is also a pretty big deal there, it ranges from vandalism, theft, murder and terrorism. This often goes unpunished and sometimes the IDF even helps settlers steal houses and land from West Bank Palestinians. Note that settlers may even include very conservative Floridians who just moved to “Israel” and feel entitled to a house owned and occupied by a Palestinian family.

Would you rather be living as a Palestinian in Gaza or the West Bank today?

I think the answer to that is very clear.

West Bank for sure. However this is a false dilemma. You are presenting bow to your occupiers and live under oppression, vs. resist your occupiers and suffer genocidal violence.

As a Palestinian these may be your only choices, neither are good. But one is obviously better in the short term.

However there is another party to this dilemma, the occupier them selves. They also have a choice not to engage in genocidal violence upon resistance or oppress and colonize upon non-resistance. They have a choice to acknowledge and recognize the sovereignty, to decolonize, to integrate and grant equal rights, etc.

The dilemma problem is a damned of you do and damned if you don’t kind. It doesn’t matter what you pick. Your oppressor is the one that needs to pick a different path.

> don’t the Gazans at least have some form of sovereignty over their land?

They just got ground invaded by an army they can't fight, so, no.

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