the_itsb [she/her, comrade/them]

Since I returned from my visit, I have been trying to place my experiences there into a larger context. The reality on the ground is so devastating, and the future appears so bleak, that I have allowed myself to indulge in some counter-factual history and to entertain some hopeful speculations about a different future. I ask myself, what would have happened had the newly created state of Israel fulfilled its commitment to enact a constitution based on its Declaration of Independence? That same declaration which stated that Israel “will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel; it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex; it will guarantee freedom of religion, conscience, language, education and culture; it will safeguard the Holy Places of all religions; and it will be faithful to the principles of the Charter of the United Nations”.

this was a devastating read

Ignoring for a moment the right of an occupied people to resist their oppression: “Hamas” does not include all Palestinians or all residents of Gaza. There are innocent civilians in Gaza, and collective punishment is against international law.

But back to that right: could you please point to an example of an oppressed people successfully freeing themselves non-violently?

Any thoughts on the decades of increasing oppression the Palestinian people have suffered or are you just pretending this uprising is happening in a vacuum?

What is the permissible amount of violence with which to respond to attempted genocide?

I hate to be callous

Then don’t be?

They addressed this in the Hamas press conference - not only do they not have enough personnel to answer all the calls for help they were getting from people trapped in the rubble, but they don’t have the equipment to move the rubble, and also it keeps getting bombed so they wouldn’t even be able to do much even if they had the people and equipment.

There was a minor map glitch in my neighborhood that kept directing people to my house instead of my friend’s house half a mile down the road, and it took me actual weeks of effort (persistent back and forth with them, repeatedly sending map screenshots and data from the county auditor, refusing to let my case get closed, etc) to get it corrected, which I had assumed was because it was a relatively small thing affecting a couple dozen people a year.

People fruitlessly asking them to fix a bridge out notice for 10 fucking years is horrifying.

The slope going up to / coming down from the bridge is literally the stuff of nightmares; I have a recurring one about going up a steep hill I can’t see over, onto a bridge, and the hill is so steep on the other side that my vehicle starts falling instead of driving, and I know I’m going to crash.