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Israel-Gaza Megathread #1

This is a megathread for any posts on the conflict between (so far, and so far as I know) Hamas and the Israeli government, as well as related geopolitics. Culture War thread rules apply.

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The pro Palestine argument is that Israel is colonial power and that Palestine deserves freedom. The chant is “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

In the minds of most of these people, it is Israel that is keeping the Palestinians down. Yet Hamas, the regime in charge of Gaza, hasn’t held an election since 2006. They are an autocratic dictatorship. Why is the focus solely on Israel as “oppressors” and not the shitty, despotic regime in charge of Gaza?

I have no sympathy for the terrorists, but are you sure Israel would have let them become richer? Sometimes they are targeting civilian infrastructures like power plants, it does not help when you try to build a richer country. A rich enemy is more dangerous, it's a risk Israel is perhaps not ready to take.

Does Israel have the same level of attacks on the West Bank?

I don't know, but the West bank is not controlled by Hamas so you can't put it on them. Moreover, from Wikipedia:

According to a 2013 World Bank report, Israeli restrictions hinder Palestinian economic development in Area C of the West Bank. A 2013 World Bank report calculates that, if the Interim Agreement was respected and restrictions lifted, a few key industries alone would produce US$2.2 billion per annum more (or 23% of 2011 Palestinian GDP) and reduce by some US$800 million (50%) the Palestinian Authority's deficit; the employment would increase by 35%.

I don't know if this report is biased.