Ian Bremmer: The Israel-Hamas war — and what it means for the world
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
TED Talk on Israel-Hamas war.
There is video and a transcript at the link.
here are a few excerpts from a much longer transcript
Ian Bremmer: The Israel-Hamas war — and what it means for the world | TED Talk
Well, I mean, Gaza, we’ve got a population, a Palestinian population of just over two million, 2.2 million, exceedingly poor. And, you know, without sovereignty, without statehood, and a part of the Palestinian occupied territories, also the West Bank, more people, 3.5 million. The West Bank run not very well by the Palestinian Authority, which recognizes Israel’s right to exist. Gaza, run really badly, with very little resources, run by Hamas, which does not recognize Israel’s right to exist.
Now we’ve been talking about a two-state solution for a very long time. For the idea that the only way you end up with stability between the Israelis and the Palestinians is if the Palestinians have some ability to govern themselves, have some control over their economic trajectory, over their foreign policy, over their borders. That is not where we stand right now. And indeed, the idea of a two-state solution has kind of lost the collective interest, imagination, traction, for two reasons. First, because the Middle East has moved on. A bunch of countries around the region have found that they are interested in developing direct relations, some formal, some informal, with Israel, and that they’re willing to do that irrespective of resolving the Palestinian question, the Palestinian problem.
And we’ve seen that with the Abraham Accords under the Trump administration, where the UAE, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco all directly established diplomatic relations with Israel. If you go to Dubai or Abu Dhabi today, you will see Israeli tourists like you wouldn’t imagine. And they’re having a great time and they’re spending money and they’re taking in the sites and they’re very welcomed by the Emirates. Unimaginable that was going to happen 10 or 20 years ago. In fact, Saudi Arabia was very close, not within weeks, it wasn’t imminent, but certainly within months of signing a deal with Israel that would allow for them to open diplomatic relations. And there’s already been a number of high-level diplomatic relations informally between Mohammed bin Salman and Prime Minister Netanyahu.
So, in other words, across the region, you had Israel, frankly, in the strongest geopolitical position that they’ve been in decades. They’ve been surrounded by enemies. Well, now they’re increasingly surrounded by countries they can do business with. In fact, just a couple of weeks ago, there was an announcement of a deal where the United Arab Emirates was investing massively into solar power for Jordan, which would then be given to Israel in return for desalinized water processed by Israel. Even five years ago, inconceivable a deal like that could happen. So the Israelis, technologically very sophisticated, an advanced industrial economy, are only standing to make more money by doing business with all of these countries.
What’s been happening with the Palestinians? Nothing. The answer is nothing. They’re not benefiting economically. And all of these deals for Israel have happened without any consequences, any contingencies for the Palestinians.
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I highly recommend reading this transcript and/or watching the video if you have time.
"Gaza, run really badly, with very little resources, run by Hamas, which does not recognize Israel’s right to exist. What’s been happening with the Palestinians? Nothing. The answer is nothing. They’re not benefiting economically. And all of these deals for Israel have happened without any consequences, any contingencies for the Palestinians."
It's all account of the lousy lack of moral leadership by Hamas. They have shown zero interest in a two-state solution.
Well they already have one state that they govern ((although some of the better informed folks here realize that Gaza is no longer occupied by Israel-- that ended long ago). The police, their military -- all authority is Hamas. They have total independence and total self rule.
Do the Palestinians they want another state? Perhaps Jordan, which has a Palestinian majority but is occupied-- and ruled, by non-Palestians (The Hashemites)
Gaza now has total self rule and In fact up to the last few days-- there's hasn't been a single Jew* in the entire place!*
*Although some of the more "mentally-challenge' still insist on claiming that Gaza is "occupied by Israel"
(Fact: There's no cure for 'Stuck on Stoopid')!
It's all account of the lousy lack of moral leadership by Hamas. They have shown zero interest in a two-state solution.
Sadly that's all too true.
And in fact they are even opposed to even a "one state solution" (for the Jews-- they want to annihilate Israel as a democratic state-- turn it into yet another third world Islamist state)