Quote:
Originally Posted by smoothpops
It's hard to explain, but i'll give it a shot (there's so much history and intangibles, that one post isn't enough) . Living conditions in Palestine are horrendous. the IDF can basically arrest and burn down/bomb houses indiscriminately (which they do, and they don't). hospitals are underfunded and there's no insurance. food and access to water in some places are cut, and of course there's no jobs and the economy is basically non-existent (Palestinians used to go to Israel and work there during the day, but now they can't reliably get through security check points). All of this has been going on long before Hamas was elected. Here's where Hamas comes in, (and why Palestinians won't just get rid of them);
because of foreign funding (Iran and previously Egypt) Hamas provides jobs and monetary allowances, they act as the police and firecrews, they rebuild houses that have been torn down and give montary compensation, they help build and fund hospitals, they act as insurance companies, they maintain the tunnels so people can smuggle in goods, gas and food. to the outside world they're terrorists, but to Palestinians they're seen as freedom fighters. It's david vs Goliath, and while David may provoke goliath, to them goliath is and has always been a bully. Hamas provides integral services that they depend on, and that dependency has only increased since 2007 when they were voted in as their government.
Anyone that was put in Palestinian conditions would accept Hamas' help. If Hamas had been there offering all this after Katrina, New Orleans would be voting them into office.
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You're really discounting the religious and thug like nature of Hamas.
One of the first acts of Hamas upon election was to put a stranglehold on the population of Gaza. They threw rivals off buildings and dragged them behind cars.
They've also gradually clamped down on the female population. First it was the enforcement of a dress code. Then it was a ban on females from dancing, going to hookah bars, going to barbershops, etc..It's also not a coincidence that minorities (both racial and religious) no longer exist in the Gaza Strip. Considering the history of the middle east and the historical diversity of the area, that's deliberate genocide.
I don't downplay the effect of Israel's military occupation on the Palestinian people as a whole, but you also have to take into account the effect of banning women from your workforce, strictly controlling education, and having one of the world's highest growth rates will have on your economy and employment opportunities.