A few notes on Gaza
Here are a few notes that might help make sense of what’s happening in Gaza and why things unfold the way they do.
- Hamas has many tunnels under Gaza used to smuggle weapons. While Israel isn’t likely to be able to eliminate all weapon sources—and is probably only creating more people willing to fire those weapons, Israel hopes to eliminate some of the pathways used to move those weapons around.
- Anti-Zionism and AntiSemitism, while often confused, are two different things. Unfortunately, people on both sides confuse them, with Israel’s supporters accusing Israel’s detractors of Antisemitism and Israel’s detractors accusing unable to keep their dislike of Israel focused on Israel, often with pretty horrible results.
- Thus far, Hezbollah has not started launching rockets at Northern Israel. This should surprise those who see Hezbollah as purely a terrorist organization.
- Reactions in other Middle Eastern countries are mixed—but not that mixed. Hamas is, generally seen as Iran’s creature—which makes Egypt and Saudi Arabia suspicious. On the other hand, general public opinion is overwhelmingly with the Palestinians. A quick glance through the Arab press can confirm how strongly.
