The Root Cause of the Gaza Problem (and Many Others)

It has happened over and over in recent history, and the Palestinian problem is no different.

The Powers that Be, whether economic or political, make a decision based on what’s best for their country/corporation/selfish selves. Some poor downtrodden group, whether it’s a labour union, an indigenous tribe or an ethnic minority, find themselves at a disadvantage. Powerless, they find a way to live that works in the situation they are offered. What else can they do?

But that doesn’t suit the Powers that Be. They want more — it’s called ‘progress’ — and the people they rolled over last time are an easy target.

After this has happened enough times, the downtrodden get angry and start to push back. Since the Powers that Be make the laws, the downtrodden soon find themselves on the wrong side of the law. The rightness of their cause does not justify the methods they use to achieve their ends.

The Big Kicker

And this is where the big stumbling block arises. There are always a whole bunch of normal, everyday people who have created their lives based on the status quo, assuming in good faith that they are obeying the laws, and that the authorities are doing the same. And since the rebels can’t attack the Powers that Be, they end up, whether on purpose or not, taking their action against the relatively innocent.

Relatively Innocent?

Everybody who lives in a developed country exists on the backs of the people in poor countries who do the menial tasks and give up their resources so we can have cheaper goods. Every single person in developed countries knows this at some level of their consciousness. So when we are suddenly made the target of a terrorist act, we are not completely innocent. But the vast majority of us are mostly innocent, and certainly do not deserve to have a rocket blast our house, the airplane we are flying in to be bombed, or our store looted by rioters.

Outrage

So everyone is outraged at the wanton destruction of these extreme acts, conveniently forgetting that each and every one of us has laid a small pebble in the pile that created the avalanche that descended randomly on a few of our compatriots.

The Holy Land

Israel is by far the worst situation, due to the complexity of the political, historic, economic and religious nature of the area. There is no question; one factor that allows Benjamin Netanyahu to practice his repressive policies against the Palestinians is the strength of the rich Jewish lobby in America. Combined with America’s need for an ally in the oil-rich, Arab-dominated region. Combined with…well, the list goes on, but it always ends with condemnation of the terrorists because they are breaking the law. You know, the law that has been used to restrict their freedom, take their land and keep them in poverty.

The Bottom Line

It doesn’t matter who you “blame” for these situations. The situation has been going on long enough that both sides have done wrong, so there’s no point in a “you said; no you said” argument. The basis of the problem is always a group of underprivileged people who are being badly treated. Thus the solution should be obvious. And if you’d take a hint, Mr. Netanyahu, it obviously isn’t to take more and more of their land and freedom away from them.