Why Liam Hehir is an idiot part 2
Part of a continuing series
In this article I address my remaining concern with Liam Hehir’s article The necessity of Palestinian statehood, namely that the claim that Palestinian Arabs remain “effectively ghettoised” in Gaza is nonsense.
The historic definition of the word “ghetto”
Ghettos historically were places within European cities where Jews were compelled to live separately from other ethnicities due to anti-Semitism. It is true that the term has a more expansive definition today. Dictionary.com provides two definitions:
a section of a city, especially a thickly populated slum area, inhabited predominantly by members of an ethnic or other minority group, often as a result of social pressures or economic hardships.
(formerly, in most European countries) a section of a city in which all Jews were required to live.
The circumstances in Gaza are very different
Palestinians in Gaza have not been driven there by racism. There are currently over 2 million Palestinian Arabs living within Israel who hold Israeli citizenship. That is not consistent with a desire to segregate Arabs as a whole into Gaza.
The connotations of the word “ghetto” make it inappropriate to describe the present situation in Gaza
I know that Hehir is aware of Israel’s Arab citizenry, and I am not accusing him of using the word ghetto in that sense. Nevertheless I think it inappropriate to use the term “ghetto” due to its historical connotations. The Warsaw Ghetto for example where Jews were first imprisoned and then massacred by the Nazis was an act of surpassing evil not comparable to the present situation in Gaza.
There are many Gazans who would like to kill Jews
As October 7 has made evident, there are a significant proportion of Gazans who apparently have nothing better to do in life than plan elaborate escapes from Gaza so that they can murder Jews in the most horrible way possible. Although Hamas itself is not popular with Gazans, polling appears to suggest that more than 70% of Gazans support the massacre on October 7.
Plenty of countries maintain closed borders: why not Israel?
I struggle to think of a single country around the world which expressly allows open borders to all comers. It is normal for countries to require visas or passport documentation in order for people to enter a country. Why would Israel open its borders to millions of Gazans who hate Jews, of whom a proportion would engage in acts of terrorism? (By the way, prior to October 7 large numbers of Gazans had work permits in Israel anyway.)
Yes, blockades are another matter, but they still do not ghettoise
I recognise that a blockade is another matter from simply enforcing a border. But was the Allied blockade of Germany during World War 2 “effectively ghettoising” it? Of course not. Nor is placing (say) placing sanctions on Iran.
Cutting off all food and water to Gaza is immoral, but blockades per se are not
Israel’s complete cutoff of all food and water to Gaza (now lifted following American pressure) in the wake of October 7 is of course deeply evil. That does not mean that blockades are in and of themselves immoral. Nor does it mean that the area subject to a blockade is a ghetto. That is because blockades do not necessarily cut off all necessities.
The blockade was necessary
Israel needed to have a blockade in place to prevent materials used to create rockets (or other weapons) from entering Gaza. This was amply illustrated by the regular barrages of rockets fired at civilian targets from Gaza for well over a decade, and confirmed on October 7.
Israel always permitted supplies into Gaza
Israel permitted humanitarian supplies to be sent into Gaza via Red Cross for the entire duration of the blockade prior to October 7. There are legitimate criticisms of the adequacy of supplies allowed into Gaza, and of the processes which were used to vet those supplies, but it was not a total blockade on necessities for human life. When Israel made exceptions to allow concrete in for sewage pipes, Hamas tore up the pipes to use them to make rocket launchpads.
In short: neither the enforcement of Israel’s national borders nor a blockade entails that Gaza is a ghetto.
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Here for this as someone who pays for this propganda-sheet precisely so I can keep track of the degree to which Hehir lives up to his evil-incarnate reputation (current verdict: not quite Jacinda-level evil 😂).
My verdict on this post, however is: dangerously conflicted (I tried not to say "schizophrenic), as to whether there are two states or one.
"I struggle to think of a single country around the world which expressly allows open borders to all comers. It is normal for countries to require visas or passport documentation in order for people to enter a country. Why would Israel open its borders to millions of Gazans who hate Jews, of whom a proportion would engage in acts of terrorism?"
But Gaza is a part of Israel!! As Bibi with his vigorous embrace of the single-state solution can attest.
Lucy, I'm quite concerned about the title you've used here. It's really not nice to be abusive; and Liam whom I have met is assuredly a dear soul and a gentleman in all respects; despite that his opinions and views may at times be somewhat mistaken, so let us forbear this fault, ...😏🤣