Thread by @elderofziyon

The vaccine debacle shows again a fundamental difference between the Israeli and Palestinian mentality - and why peace with Palestinians is impossible.

1/

Israelis want to find solutions to problems. Ideally, the solutions are win-win – both sides get what they want and everyone is ahead of where they were previously.
2/

Israel had vaccines that were coming close to expiration. Palestinians were way behind in vaccinating their population, and their vaccines – which they ordered many months ago – were delayed.
3/

I don't know who came up with the solution – Israel or Pfizer – but Israel had a chance to not waste the vaccines while allowing the Palestinians to get a head start on over half a million jabs.
4/

However, Palestinians do not have a win/win mindset. They have a zero-sum mentality.
The two cannot mix.
5/

From the Palestinian perspective, “if my enemy wins, I lose.” Israel cannot be allowed to win – whether it is in PR, or in not losing millions of dollars of vaccines. If Israel wins, then Palestinians lose, in this bizarre mindset.
6/

Even if Israel's win can also save the lives of hundreds of Palestinians.

A lose/lose is preferable to a win/win, when you hate your enemy enough.
7/

The zero-sum mindset is tied with the honor/shame mentality. If your enemy wins, it is shameful for you.

So you don't play to win - you play for your opponent to lose.
8/

How can anyone make peace with people whose top priority is for their opponents to lose and be humiliated – more than they care about their own people?
9/

The answer is – you cannot.

Until the Palestinians grow up and think like adults, they will never get anywhere.
/end

I wrote this as a post, with a little more: elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-va…