Is there really an“Israeli blockade”?
Or is that only half-right?
The blame game
Israel’s critics slam the blockade against Gaza as a primary reason for the Hamas assault on October 7. They claim it made life there so awful that the residents had little choice but to support the Hamas war strategy. After all, they reason, if someone were starving you, wouldn’t you fight for your life?
It’s an argument that crumbles under scrutiny.
First, it’s not really an “Israeli” blockade at all. It’s an “Israeli-Egyptian blockade.” And if it’s an inhumane act, that act is jointly committed by an Arab nation as well. So what’s going on?
The blockade was fully established in 2007 after Hamas gained control in Gaza. It restricted where Gaza’s residents could go, and restricted the flow of some goods into and out of the country. It was intended to prevent potential terrorists from leaving Gaza, and weapons from entering.
Why would Egypt assist Israel with this for decades? First, they’re no fans of Hamas either, a group that’s considered an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, and a threat to the Egyptian government. They’re also fearful of a flood of refugees. Egypt both built a wall and a mile-wide buffer zone between them and Gaza.
And while the blockade undoubtedly made life more difficult in Gaza – which had a 45% unemployment rate – from a standpoint of protecting Israel, it certainly wasn’t tight enough. Hamas, with an army of tens of thousands, launched thousands of rockets in just minutes during the October 7 attack. That’s a lot of weaponry.
So, pointing fingers at the "Israeli blockade" as the instigator of the Hamas strike on Israel? That's an oversimplified take on a complex reality. It's never just black and white.
Whatever happened to Kevin Spacey?
A few months back, I took a look at the allegations against Kevin Spacey and the fact that out of over 30 accusers, he’s not been convicted of a single crime. Instead, he keeps getting acquitted.
I couldn’t get past the question … is he a guilty man using his riches and fame to escape justice? Or an innocent one dogged by cancel culture?
I dug into the details and have produced a video looking into the accusations and outcomes in detail. Not to brag, but it’s the best overview of the situation I’ve seen … something larger news outlets should done properly.
And, as we often see, the truth may be somewhere in the middle.
— Ken
At the time Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade, there probably wasn't a better option to protect against extremist attacks. Unfortunately, the deprivation and economic hardship caused by the blockade have helped radicalize a new generation of largely unemployed young men -- who, granted, might have ended up radicalized anyway. And the blockade clearly failed to achieve its main goal of preventing Hamas from amassing arms to attack its neighbors.
The lesson: Sometimes even your best option is doomed to failure.
Here's an interesting article regarding the territorial legitimacy of the Palestinians: https://canadafreepress.com/article/modern-palestinians-are-not-descended-from-ancient-philistines-implications. I still do not believe that the Israeli intelligence wasn't fully aware of the oncoming attack and someone within the government decided that an obvious reason to finally to root out Gaza was going to be worth the sacrifice that would result from standing down, as awful as it was going to be.