*Escape from Gaza*

I know this is not a popular story in the US press or media, but usually we, as a people and our government, at a minimum, condemn governments who take such actions to starve and bomb ethnic minorities over whose territory they exert control. Hell, in Bosnia and Kosovo we put the US Air Force to work bombing Serbian military and civilian targets to get the Serbian government to cease its genocidal activities. But, as we all know, Israel is sacrosanct. Official and /or media criticism of its actions against people living in the “occupied territories” is simply not done. [...]

Because, they’re only Arabs after all. Poor, dirty crazy Arabs. Less than human. They don’t even belong in Greater Israel. So why not starve them out?

But seriously, if collective punishment wasn’t the preferred modus operandi of the Israeli government to punish the many for the sins of a few, maybe Hamas wouldn’t be as powerful a political force in Gaza among ordinary Palestinians as it is today. Because when you trade large acts of violence (air strikes, economic blockades, massive detentions, bulldozing homes, etc.) for smaller acts of violence against you (as we are learning in Iraq) pretty soon everyone who used to be a moderate has been radicalized. But then when have the beneficiaries of “occupation” and “apartheid” and “ethnic cleansing” ever voluntarily surrendered their advantages out of humanitarian concerns for the people they exploit. Not very damn often in this world. – Steven D