www.huffingtonpost.com, one of my favorite political blogs has a good collection of articles on the subject. I am on vacation from school and have not seen much action or talk in the streets, but rest assured whatever anti-Israeli views the average Egyptian held they are more extreme now. I am spending the afternoon reading up on the subject so many of the thoughts and ideas presented are recently gleamed from international news articles.
“Israeli leaders said they would press ahead with the Gaza campaign, despite enraged protests across the Arab world and Syria's decision to break off indirect peace talks with the Jewish state. Israel's foreign minister said the goal was to halt Gaza rocket fire on Israel for good, but not to reoccupy the territory.”
IBRAHIM BARZAK and KARIN LAUB | December 28, 2008 10:07 PM EST |
AP Article
The idea that bombing a country into oblivion will halt anything forever is just silly. When in history has this ever worked, ever changed minds, ever put an end to violence and not only created more violence? When?
Map taken from the New York Times website, I always forget the geography of this region.After reading a few articles it seems that Egypt is more involved than I knew. They have been brokering a peace/cease-fire between Israel and Palestine and agreed to close their border with Gaza to show their condemnation of Hamas. From what I know one of the biggest problems in Gaza is the lack of imports into the region, this means little economic activity, hospital or basic infrastructure supplies. One of the reasons Hamas was elected and is strongly supported is because they have been successful in smuggling/importing goods into the country so that people can live. Israel just bombed the system of tunnels between the Rafah, Gaza and Egyptian border. From what I am reading most hospitals are without basic medications and not functioning and homes are without gas.
Violence between Israel and Palestine inevitably stirs up talk of a united “Arab” front against “America and Zionists.” But who are the Arabs? I think it is sort of like referring to black people in America, as if you can lump all black people together and say they feel the same way about an issue. You cannot with either group.
From my first days in Egypt what has struck me is how Egyptians are Egyptians. Not Arabs. Arabs, in the eyes of many I have had conversations with, are Iranians, Saudis, Iraqi’s etc. Egyptians speak a different Arabic, live in Africa, and are mainly Sunni. From this point of view it makes sense then that Egyptian politics would not mirror “Arab politics,” this is also supported historically with many past Egyptians PMs. However, Egyptians do not like Mubarek, Zionists, America’s unabashed support of Israel, or Israel. So, it is safe to say that many Egyptians politics do not mirror those of their government. I am anxious to see what happens and hear what my friends here have to say about Egypt’s closed border with Gaza and the government’s action.
Israel stands to lose face or gain back fear they had before the 2006 Lebanon bombings/war. I just learned that the Defense Minister and chairman of the Labor Party Ehud Barak, who is also running a distant third in polls for Israel’s February elections, is the mastermind behind the air strikes and the public face. Win a war; win an election! Lose a war; well maybe you were not going to win anyways. Meanwhile Hams is launching rockets further than even into Israel and Israel is preparing ground troops.
Also I guess oil prices just went up, what a scam. If Obama cannot get us off of foreign oil and oil all together and figure out a way to be a little less-biased about Israel 2009 will not be that much better than 2000-2008.
The politics between Israel/Palestine are almost beyond my comprehension. I just don’t understand bombing prisons and refugee camps. WTF?
Violence between Israel and Palestine inevitably stirs up talk of a united “Arab” front against “America and Zionists.” But who are the Arabs? I think it is sort of like referring to black people in America, as if you can lump all black people together and say they feel the same way about an issue. You cannot with either group.
From my first days in Egypt what has struck me is how Egyptians are Egyptians. Not Arabs. Arabs, in the eyes of many I have had conversations with, are Iranians, Saudis, Iraqi’s etc. Egyptians speak a different Arabic, live in Africa, and are mainly Sunni. From this point of view it makes sense then that Egyptian politics would not mirror “Arab politics,” this is also supported historically with many past Egyptians PMs. However, Egyptians do not like Mubarek, Zionists, America’s unabashed support of Israel, or Israel. So, it is safe to say that many Egyptians politics do not mirror those of their government. I am anxious to see what happens and hear what my friends here have to say about Egypt’s closed border with Gaza and the government’s action.
Israel stands to lose face or gain back fear they had before the 2006 Lebanon bombings/war. I just learned that the Defense Minister and chairman of the Labor Party Ehud Barak, who is also running a distant third in polls for Israel’s February elections, is the mastermind behind the air strikes and the public face. Win a war; win an election! Lose a war; well maybe you were not going to win anyways. Meanwhile Hams is launching rockets further than even into Israel and Israel is preparing ground troops.
Also I guess oil prices just went up, what a scam. If Obama cannot get us off of foreign oil and oil all together and figure out a way to be a little less-biased about Israel 2009 will not be that much better than 2000-2008.
The politics between Israel/Palestine are almost beyond my comprehension. I just don’t understand bombing prisons and refugee camps. WTF?
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