Thread by @thatpeterfox

I’m seeing some people share this photo as a portrait of resistance, but let’s dive deeper into what’s going on here. [1/9]

Israel has not occupied an inch of Gaza’s land since 2005 when all of its Israeli residents were mandated to evacuate. You may be wondering what they are they protesting then.
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These protests have been orchestrated by Hamas — the terrorist organization that was elected to power in 2007— as a means to reject Israel’s very existence. We know this because they’ve said so themself. /3

www-m.cnn.com/2018/05/16/mid…

Under the brutal rule of Hamas, Gazans have no recourse against their government and their only outlet of protest is against Israel.

For deeper context, the more moderate Fatah government in the West Bank considers Hamas an enemy to their people. /4

What you’re seeing at these Gaza protests are a combination of Hamas operatives and innocent people who have been misled by Hamas to protest at a hostile border which is beyond civilian territory. /5

These demonstrations haven’t been peaceful either. Incendiary devices have been launched from Gaza into 🇮🇱 destroying the agriculture and creating unsafe environments near people’s homes. None of this does anything to bring about peace. /6

Gaza should be a success story, but It’s not. It should’ve been an example of how trading land for peace would actually bring about change— but instead it’s made things much more complex. /7

The people of Gaza deserve a government that respects personal liberties and basic human rights, but instead it’s reinforced the most negative stereotypes of the Middle East. /8

When some people look at this photo they see courage, but when I see it, I see a government that has taken advantage of their people to promote violence. If u care at all for the future of Palestinians you should condemn Hamas and reinforce support for a 2 state solution. ~ fin