Bad at war
Israel says it’s going to war, not with the people of Gaza, but with Hamas. That may sound noble and help with public relations, but we're witnessing, in real-time, another clash of civilizations that has shaped humanity since before we could speak.
Let's first quash the narrative that Gaza's populace is held captive by the likes of Hamas. After narrowly winning an election before discarding them altogether, Hamas rules Gaza as a fairly popular dictatorship. The latest pre-war polls show that 57% of Gazans hold a positive opinion of Hamas, and about three-quarters of Gazans support even more aggressive groups like the Islamic Jihad and Lion’s Den. By comparison, Joe Biden currently sits at a 41% approval rating.
When asked about ways to build an independent state, 21% prefer “negotiations,” 22% “peaceful popular resistance,” and 52% select “armed conflict.” A 58% percent majority supports a “return to the armed intifada and confrontations.” When you see news outlets reporting otherwise, they’re playing you with cherry-picked numbers.
Hamas is not the cause of Gaza’s militancy, it’s the symptom. The people of Gaza aren’t unwitting victims of a militant regime, but are, overall, on board with a military fight against Israel.
The Hamas government has responded accordingly, for years spending resources on lobbing rockets into Israel and preparing the massive October 7 attack. Gazans prioritized warfare over governance, and have proven themselves awful at things like education, healthcare, and infrastructure.
Unfortunately for them, they’ve proven themselves awful at warfare as well.
That may sound odd on the heels of the Gazan terrorists slaughtering 1,400 Israelis, but committing organized murder against civilians isn’t the same as warfare. Al-Qaeda murdered 3,000 Americans using 19 men armed with box cutters, yet were never a military force that could win a battle, let alone defeat a country or defend its own population. Neither can Gaza.
Gaza’s “strategy” is to continue attacking until Israeli counterattacks kill enough civilians that Gaza can unite enough forces to destroy Israel. If this seems like a strategy designed to fail, that's because it is. The endgame is a long shot, soaked in their own people’s blood.
A society that lusts for war but lacks proficiency in it has a gloomy future. As callous as it sounds, there's a form of Darwinism at play on the global stage. If Gaza doesn't reorient its priorities, it’s destined for the dustbin of history. Just ask any Spartan.
Until the men and women of Gaza choose to build a country rather than destroy an enemy, they steer toward their own demise. Tragically, they seem almost eager to get there.
Bad at driving?
I shared my new YouTube channel a few weeks ago (thank you to everyone who has checked it out!) You might notice that the videos on there are not blatantly political, which is intentional. My goal isn’t to tell people how to vote. My goal is to challenge people to think smarter about society, and to question common beliefs we’re not supposed to question. And that, of course, makes people smarter voters in the long run.
I recently shared this video on whether Asians are bad drivers, and answered the question for you even though we’re really not supposed to ask it. I’d love to know what you think.
– Ken
The video was excellent! Short and informative, just like your substacks.
Loved your piece on Gaza so true
& when U add tunnels one can rerun Vietnam minus jungle again & Urban warfare like in WW2 & Hue Vietnam.
Gaza can be Israels " Vietnam"