this post was submitted on 23 Jan 2025
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In the West Bank, Trump is giving Netanyahu a free hand to blow up the region (www.middleeasteye.net)
submitted 1 week ago by IndustryStandard to c/politics
73 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Anyone who imagined that US President Donald Trump would be the Stop the War president the Middle East had been waiting for, should have a look at what is currently underway in the Occupied West Bank.

The images from the hostage release in Gaza City shocked an Israeli public fed on myths of total victory. "After a year and four months, in which the public's eyes have been flooded with information and baseless narratives of stories of total victory and revenge, the Israeli public sees from Gaza images of Toyotas, armed Hamas members and Gaza rising from the ruins," journalist Israel Frey told Middle East Eye.

That said, the large-scale ground assault on the West Bank refugee camps was preplanned. But its timing was enough to keep Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's far right finance minister and de facto consul general of the occupied West Bank, in the cabinet when he threatened to resign over the ceasefire in Gaza. The other item in Smotrich’s sweetie bag was the promise to clear out the army leadership.

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[–] littlewonder 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (3 children)

This is literally the trolley problem. Do nothing because you don't want to "participate"--the trolley kills a dozen people. Choose to "participate" by pulling a lever--only one person will be killed.

It's idealism vs realism. Yes, ideally no one would vote for anyone funding Israel (or allow the trolley to kill anyone, to stick to the analogy), but if we think of the realistic outcomes that will happen, I'm going to pull the lever every time.

Choosing to opt out of engaging with the system is still a choice with real consequences.

[–] Keeponstalin 4 points 1 week ago

I literally voted, so no i did not 'do nothing'. This is a much larger problem than individuals considering it a 'trolly problem'. Voter apathy is rooted in systemic issues, both in how voting is implemented within the country and what options there are to vote for.

From my other response:

Neoliberal policies have squeezed the working class, worsening both material conditions and future prospects, causing many many people to lose faith in the party. Business as Usual is a failing strategy when people are suffering from Business as Usual.

Right-wing populism takes advantage of that by putting the blame on the 'other' such as immigrants and marginalized people. The only way to combat right-wing populism effectively is with left-wing populism. To address the systemic issues causing the suffering with policies that improve people's material conditions. That would be public healthcare, public housing, public infrastructure, worker protections, ect. The issue is that those solutions hurt the bottom line of private businesses, which are the donor class of the Democratic (and Republican) Party.

Neoliberalism will always side with Fascism because of that profit incentive.

[–] Grimy 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

It's a bit weird to be blaming the guy at the lever for the deaths, no? The dems literally decided to tie people up in front of that train, but they aren't to blame because they tied less people then the republicans. Instead of demanding change, we are guilt tripping voters.

[–] Aqarius 4 points 1 week ago

Literally nobody I've seen bring up the trolley problem seems to actually understand it.

[–] Ensign_Crab 3 points 1 week ago

It's idealism vs realism. Yes, ideally no one would vote for anyone funding Israel (or allow the trolley to kill anyone, to stick to the analogy), but if we think of the realistic outcomes that will happen, I'm going to pull the lever every time.

The problem is that anyone who gripes about the choice gets screamed at as though they chose wrong.