A New York Times editorial yesterday morning, “Having to Rebuild Gaza, Again,” begins promisingly, reciting the destructiveness of the Israeli attack on Gaza and then asking what’s the point of rebuilding Gaza through international contributions “just so it can be destroyed in the next war?”
Even more promisingly, the editorial continues: “Even during times of relative peace, Gazans have endured soul-crushing deprivation” as a result of the Israeli and Egyptian “draconian blockade.” While the goal of the blockade is to “squeeze Hamas,” the editorial concedes, “innocent people have paid a much bigger price.”
Surely the Times is about to argue that Israel must end the blockade, end the overall occupation and repression of the Palestinian people, and agree to a two-state settlement? But no: the word “occupation” does not appear and the emphasis in the rest of the editorial is on what Abbas must do: “work much harder to assert leadership in Gaza and present himself to the Palestinians there as a credible political alternative to Hamas” as well as end corruption in the Palestinian Authority.
To be sure, the editorial does conclude that the “only long-term answer to a destructive militant group like Hamas is to empower moderates and give Palestinians hope of a constructive future…[leading to] a comprehensive peace settlement and an independent state.” But as for why this has not yet occurred, the editorial says only that the previous negotiations for such a settlement “collapsed and show no sign of reviving.”
As to which side is responsible for the “collapse,” the editorial is silent. Similarly, as to which side is responsible for the destruction of Gaza, and for the likelihood of it being repeated in “the next war,” the editorial is also silent. It would appear these are simply acts of nature.
This piece appeared yesterday on Jerome Slater’s site, where it has also drawn comment.
This is the first time I’ve ever seen the NYT editorialists admit the blockade inflicted terrible suffering on Gazans. I think they’ve tacitly supported it all along, but were shamed into this admission because their own reporters (whatever their flaws) repeatedly wrote how the people in Gaza loathed the blockade and wanted it lifted. But the NYT will never come right out and say that Westerners like themselves happily supported the hurting of innocent people as a means of pressure on Hamas.
Though in fact they still feel that way, as demonstrated by this editorial. It’s more important to them that Hamas not receive any credit if the blockade is lifted than it is to have the blockade lifted.
One thing the editorial doesn’t mention–along with the deprivation the blockade also was enforced by having the IDF shoot at fishermen and at farmers and others who approached the boundary too closely. And the buffer zone (or kill zone) that Israel imposed is inside Gaza, which is yet another demonstration that the occupation of Gaza never ended.
The editorial does state that Israel has the right not to be attacked from Gaza, but strangely omits mentioning violence going the other way during “peacetime”.
On the subject of rebuilding, it seems Qatar is going to donated $1 billion towards rebuilding what Israel bombed into the stone ages:
“Qatar pledges $1b to Gaza; U.S. to grant $212m in immediate aid
At donors’ conference, Sissi urges Israel: Now is the time to end the conflict; Abbas tells Gazans: Your plight has touched and shaken the world’s conscience.” Haaretz
Hey, as a tax payer I am willing to cut off what we keep giving to the ones responsible for this devastation, and give some of that to their victims.
It makes me wonder how much the brutal occupier will make out of their usual mowing of the lawn this time.
Wasn’t one of the triggers for Israel’s latest violent spasm was the agreement by Palestine to form a unity government? Wasn’t this a sign that Abbas was “working harder?” Wouldn’t this give better representation and options to the residents of the West Bank and Gaza, and wasn’t this precisely why Israel and the US found the move so threatening?
Again, the NYT acts stupid as to root causes and expects its readers to play along . . .
” “only long-term answer to a destructive militant group like Hamas is to empower moderates and give Palestinians hope of a constructive future…
LOL……..oh yes Its all Hamas’s fault.
Lets see now how many times the US and others have paid to rebuild Israel’s destruction while Isr hasnt paid a penny—Lebanon twice and Gaza 2014 make 3 or 4 more times.
The only way anyone can endure this Zio-Demonic cancer infection is to believe that one day in not too distant future it will be flushed down the toilet.