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@wesleysoooooo
Trump getting nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by Pakistan AND bombing Iran all within the same week is crazy
He wants the NPP, but won't accept bc Muslims nominated him would be so funny 😂😂😂
Nah Pakistan is playing smart here by bubbling up his inflated ego. He's fine with Muslims as long as they suck up to him.
Trump getting nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by Pakistan AND bombing Iran all within the same week is crazy
If your activism calls for ending a people, a nation, or a culture, that's not actually activism.
That's what activists used to fight.
As a society we have benefited so much from successful public health measures that we now have the privilege of declaring that we must not need them anymore
Bitch before enriched flour, neural tube defects like spina bifida were far more common. Even now, spina bifida clinicians and researchers are begging to have salt and maize fortified to reach groups that don’t use as much flour. Before iodized salt, the United States had a fucking GOITER BELT. Eleven years after the introduction of fluoridated water, a city in Michigan found the rate of dental caries among school children dropped a staggering 60%— in an era where tooth decay regularly fucking killed people
I’m literally not even going to start on vaccines, which are among the most successful and robustly studied public health measures in world history
You might say “oh well today we all have access to vitamins and toothpastes and dentists so we don’t need those things in our food supplies” and boy do white people on social media loooove to fucking say that. But here’s the thing: no, people don’t all have easy access to those things. That’s privilege talking yet again
critical support to hindu nationalists ⁉️
how do you tell this person is hindu though?
We need to deliver real progress.
I guess the genocide in Gaza doesn’t count
Doesn’t the Egyptian navy also enforce the blockade?
I thought it was Israel and Egypt both. But I’ve seen no mention of Egypt’s involvement recently.
(I did see that Egyptian authorities have stopped, detained and deported many of the “march to Gaza” activists.)
Explained: Egypt, the Gaza Blockade, and the March for Gaza activists
If you've seen MSM coverage about the Gaza blockade, you may well believe that Israel is the only country enforcing it.
Egypt has also enforced a blockade on Gaza since 2007. This isn't a secret, it's a long-standing policy, but it rarely shows up in activist slogans, protest chants, or international outrage.
That's part of the reason why western March to Gaza activists were so confused by what they encountered in Egypt.
I can't find any clips of these encounters which aren't biased, so this will have to do:
So let's put this in context.
What Is the Gaza Blockade?
In 2007, after Hamas took control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in a violent coup, Israel and Egypt both imposed blockades on the territory.
Israel's blockade focuses on land, airspace, and maritime access (because it shares all of those with Gaza) with the stated purpose of preventing weapons smuggling and rocket attacks. Egypt's blockade is focused mainly on the land border at the Rafah crossing - the only non-Israeli border Gaza has.
Both countries restrict what and who can move in and out. Both justify it on security grounds. Israel cites rocket fire and terror tunnels. Egypt cites Hamas’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned and often brutally suppressed group inside Egypt.
What did Egypt do differently at their border with Gaza after Hamas took over?
Tightened Restrictions: Egypt imposed much stricter controls on the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza.
Rafah Crossing Closure and Intermittent Openings: The Rafah crossing was largely closed by Egypt after the Hamas takeover. It has only been opened intermittently since then, primarily for limited purposes, such as allowing special shipments of medical supplies or facilitating travel for individuals requiring medical treatment.
Participation in the Blockade: Egypt joined with Israel in enforcing a blockade of Gaza, aiming to prevent weapons smuggling and exert economic pressure on Hamas. The blockade has severely restricted the flow of essential goods, contributing to economic hardship and limiting the freedom of movement for Gazans.
Crackdown on Smuggling Tunnels: Egypt launched efforts to destroy the smuggling tunnels that had become a vital lifeline for goods entering Gaza, going so far as to flood the tunnels in 2015.Mediation Efforts: Egypt has engaged in mediation efforts between Fatah and Hamas, the two main Palestinian factions, attempting to broker reconciliation agreements. The Rafah crossing has sometimes been used as a tool in these negotiations.
Focus on Security Cooperation with Israel: Egypt has coordinated closely with Israel on security matters related to the border, which has contributed to the tightening of restrictions on the Rafah crossing.
Egypt's policies regarding the Rafah crossing have not been static. They have varied depending on internal Egyptian politics, regional dynamics, the state of relations between Egypt and Hamas and security concerns.
Here's a snapshot from August 2023 put out by OCHA, using data provided by Hamas (accuracy questionable, but this demonstrates international attention to the matter.)
While participating in the blockade, Egypt has also sought to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, particularly during times of crisis. For instance, in 2014, Egypt permitted the World Food Programme to bring food through the Rafah crossing.
Does Egypt Enforce a Naval Blockade Too?
Not like Israel does because it doesn't have to. Egypt controls its own coastal waters, but doesn't patrol Gaza's maritime border.
It does tightly restrict access to its land border at Rafah and coordinates with Israel on border and security policies. So while there isn't a direct Egyptian naval blockade, Egypt enforces restrictions on movement and trade just as seriously on land.
Why Don't Activists Talk About Egypt's Role?
Egypt's participation in the blockade is a matter of record. It controls a major border crossing. It restricts people and goods. It's even used violence to destroy smuggling tunnels and detain activists. Yet I've never seen news of protests against Egypt.
Why? Because nuance messes up the narrative and doesn't fit into the oppressor/victim dynamic.
The dominant narrative in much of the West frames the Gaza conflict through the lens of settler colonialism, with Israel as the powerful, evil, European colonizer and Palestinians as the indigenous, helpless, innocent, virtuous colonized. That framing doesn't leave room for Arab states to be seen as complicit or even hostile to Hamas. It flattens the region's politics into a binary that leaves out information which is needed to understand the region.
Put another way, it's easier for some activists to blame Israel alone. Criticizing an Arab country like Egypt (especially one run by an authoritarian government) complicates the story. Also, it doesn't fit on a sign or in a hashtag.
What About the "March to Gaza" Activists?
As noted above, Egyptian authorities detained and deported international activists trying to join a solidarity march to Gaza. These are the same types of activists who accuse Israel of violating human rights for restricting access to Gaza.
So finally, a certain kind of Westerner has noticed that Egypt also has a blockade. Even so, there were no major headlines, no global protests against Egypt, and barely a whisper on social media. Ground News shows the coverage spread is spread pretty evenly.
When Israel stops people at the border, it's called apartheid. When Egypt does it, it's mostly ignored. Why the double standard? (You know why.)
Why Does Egypt Enforce a Blockade at All?
Egypt sees Hamas as a national security threat. Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, which Egypt's government sees as a terrorist organization. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi came to power after removing a Muslim Brotherhood president from office in a military coup. Sisi subsequently was elected as Egyptian president and enjoys substantially more support than his predecessor. He has cracked down hard on violent Jihadist/Islamist movements of all kinds.
In September of 2013, an Egyptian court banned the Brotherhood and ordered the seizure of its assets and associations. In December of 2013, the Sisi government officially declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization.
In addition to targeting the Muslim Brotherhood, Sisi's government has waged a continuous and often brutal campaign against various jihadist groups, most notably Wilayat Sinai (formerly Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis), which pledged allegiance to ISIS, in the Sinai Peninsula. This campaign has involved large-scale military operations, curfews, and the displacement of residents.
The Sisi government consistently frames its actions as a necessary "war on terror" to protect Egypt from extremism and instability, and this narrative has resonated with many Egyptians weary of political turmoil.
So Egypt's policy isn't about helping Israel. It's about controlling what happens on its own border and containing a group it sees as dangerous and destabilizing.
Why Does Any of This Matter?
If you want to understand the blockade (and the conflict in general) you need the full picture.
You need to embrace complexity nuance, and shades of grey. You need to let go of the egotistical Western view that the world generally thinks like you do and shares your general values. They don't, it doesn't. The world is too complex to flatten to a binary. Here are some complexities which many Western leftists seem not to grasp:
Arab Regimes are neither Anti-Zionist Saints nor Pro-Hamas Allies.
A common but false assumption among many Western activists is that Egypt and other Arab states are natural allies of Palestinians in their struggle against Israel. Egypt:
Is deeply suspicious of Hamas (an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is outlawed in Egypt and viewed as a terrorist threat).
Has its own national security interests that are often at odds with Palestinian groups.
Maintains its own blockade on Gaza, which predates and operates alongside Israel’s.
Western activists who believe that "Free Palestine" is the unifying moral cause of the Arab world often miss that most Arab regimes are more concerned with their own security concerns, domestic stability, counterterrorism, and maintaining authoritarian control than championing Palestinian liberation. It just doesn't matter to them the way it matters to the Western "Pro-Palestinian" activists.
Egypt Co-Enforces the Gaza Blockade
Egypt controls their Rafah border, the only crossing from Gaza not controlled by Israel.
Egypt routinely keeps the Rafah crossing closed, except for specific humanitarian cases or diplomatic arrangements.
Egypt blames Hamas for instability and violence that spills into the Sinai, and it does not want a flood of refugees escaping into the Egyptian Sinai.
Anti-Imperialism Has Become Weirdly Pro-Imperial
One of the bitter ironies of the Western left's approach is that their anti-imperialism tends to romanticize or whitewash non-Western authoritarian states.* In the name of fighting US or Israeli imperialism, they ignore or excuse:
Egypt's military dictatorship and brutal police state.
Assad's war crimes in Syria.
Iran's suppression of women and minorities.
Russia's aggressive expansionism.
China's human rights abuses against many, including the Uyghurs
This highlights broader confusion among Western "Pro-Palestinian" activists
They seem to reduce every situation to "colonizer vs colonized," or "Oppressor vs Victim" and place all Arab actors automatically on the side of victims justly seeking justice...ignoring that states like Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia have their own histories of colonialism, suppression, and regional imperialism which are varied, complex, and frequently in competition.
They treat Hamas as if it's just a resistance movement rather than a militant Islamist regime which is:
Hostile to Egyptian authority,
Fundamentally illiberal
Hostile to the rights of women and LGBTQ+ persons
In conflict not just with Israel, but also with Fatah (the Palestinian Authority), Egypt, and much of the Arab world.
Missing out on post-colonial dynamics
Try to watch this with Egyptian eyes:
The Egyptians in the video don't just despise Hamas. There's more happening here.
Keep in mind that Egypt was ruled (in whole or in part) by the British as a colonial power from 1882 to 1956.
This uninvited guest, this British Welshman who doesn't speak Arabic and knows nothing about Egyptians or Gazans...is condemning and lecturing Egyptians on their moral obligations as Muslims...on their own soil...with patronizing language like "I believe that the people of the Arabic nations have a white heart."
How might you feel if you were an Egyptian cop or soldier who was expected to be calm while being condescended to this way by this man?
Can you see the extraordinary privilege of which this Welshman is totally unaware and how inappropriate his actions are even by the Western left's own domestic standards and social mores?
His condescension to Egyptians is textbook Orientalism. It's cringe on so many levels.
Projection of Western Political Tropes
These activists (instead of learning about peoples who are geographically, ideologically, and politically distant from them and just as complex as people anywhere) project their own local, parochial, left-wing, binary, intersectional frameworks onto a region where those frameworks don’t translate.
In Egypt, you don’t get to chant "Free Palestine" and assume the police will see you as righteous or even harmless. You're more likely to be detained, interrogated, or worse - and not because they oppose dignity, safety, and self-determination for Palestinians, but because they oppose dissent and are sick to death of being condescended to by Westerners who don't know a single thing about them.
Well, Israelis don't know anything about them either!
~20% of Israel's citizens are Arab and speak Arabic. Another 20% of Israelis who are Jews speak fluent Arabic and you can study Arabic as a second language in Jewish public schools in Israel.
About 40% of Israeli citizens speak Arabic.
Most Jewish Arabic-speakers' families came to Israel from Arab lands where they'd lived for centuries as second-class citizens. They know Arab people and Arab culture. They have Arab co-workers, Arab doctors, Arab judges, and Arab members of their parliament. They have no problem seeing Arabs, individually and collectively, as complex, sophisticated people with intelligence and agency.
Israeli journalist Haviv Rettig Gur:
Western activists seeking to enter Gaza via Egypt discovered to their horror this week one of the most obvious and basic facts about the Gaza war: That Egypt's military dictatorship doesn't care one whit how much Palestinians suffer behind the heavily-armed border fence it has installed between Egypt and Gaza. That this came as a shock to Western activists is itself a function of the fact that they know very little about the subjects of their moral emotions, because the basic purpose of Palestinian activism in the West isn't to move the needle for Palestinians - a task that would require knowledge and nuance and a capacity for self-critique - but merely to experience those moral emotions. I know it can be hard to see it, but this is as far from actual focused concern for Palestinians as Iran's, Egypt's and France's diverse hypocrisies. If given the choice between, for example, an Israeli victory that produces a free and prosperous Gaza and an Israeli loss that sends Gaza back into the clutches of Hamas for another generation, most of these activists will enthusiastically endorse the latter. Because feelings.
Yep. Because feelings.
Tacked on at the End: The Open Air Prison Myth
The claim is often made that the blockade by Egypt and Israel made Gaza, until 10/7/23, an open air prison.
I'm not even going to waste words disputing this. Watch these:
(*Any interest in a future explainer on Tankies?)
Further information:
Egypt - European Intervention, Colonization, Revolt: European domination was immediately reasserted. The Dual Control was revived, with Evel
From the onset of the Gaza war, Cairo has worried about the risks it creates for Egypt, from refugee flight to economic shocks. Foreign part
To everyone who's defending Iran rn
I say this as an iranian. You either don't know what the government of Iran is like to it's people or you don't remember them literally shooting civilians in the streets who were just asking for basic human rights.
But i remember.
I remember the streets of Tehran stained with the blood of innocent girls.
I hope every government leader in Iran a painful and miserable death and i thank Israel for doing it.
We were already suffering a whole lot. Maybe this war can be the end.
Seeing westerners cheering for Iran government while Iranian blogs wishing for their downfall feels so weird.
One thing I've learnt is morality is all about optics and perception. The people outside Iran have little idea about oppression of their citizens as compared to the news and images we get of Gaza children every other day. For many people its about choosing the 'lesser evil'.
Romania didn’t vote for a fascist.
Sanity prevails.
I love how USA falling into fascism made THE WHOLE WORLD to stop and reconsider what the fuck we were doing.
Canada has UNEXPECTEDLY elected Carney, a Liberal party representative. Both Germany and Australia moved A LOT from the right.
And now, my Romanian brethren have choosen the Nicusor Dan, pro-european, pro-democratic leader!
He was fighting a tight race with George Simion, ultra-right "Romanian Trump", as he called himself. Even tho both russia and USA tried to sway election in his benefit, they couldn't turn the tide.
Now the next fight will be fought for the future of Poland. Very conservative in the past, now a liberal-centrist leads in a first round of vote.
Rafał Trzaskowski pledges support to European Union and wants to reinforce the rule of Law, undermined by PiS efforts. He also supports LGBTQ+ rights and freedom of abortion.
His opponent, Karol Nawrocki is a trump-style hard-right populist, whose talking points are pretty much a copy of trump's. Fortunately, this one is not pro-russian, but since the trump is... yeah. He is at odds with European Union, Green movements, against abortion and LGBTQ+ rights and has said pretty wild stuff about almost every neighboring country.
The fight will be hard, since not only he has won ~30% of votes in the first round, other far-right candidates accumulated about 21% of votes, mostly from young men.
Hopefully, Poland will continue the trend of saying FUCK YOU to trump and his allies. Keep fighting, my friends!
Can’t wait to hear about the “deadly exchange” between the Romanian and American far right and how the oppression of Romani people in Romania following decades of slavery is actually the same issue as ICE behaving like amateur criminals in the United States, and it’s all connected and we need to rise up and murder our common enemies.
Source: WAKA 8 https://search.app/YD4fjfTi6C5uJtnV7
An Alabama National Guard unit from our area is deploying to Romania.
Oh wait there’s no fucking way anyone’s going to say that because it sounds nuts and Romania isn’t a majority Jewish country.
Kimmel starts every show with an anti-trump monologue that is hilarious. You can find them on YouTube and they usually run between 8-16 minutes approximately.
greta was time's person of the year a few years ago. she was adored by all liberal world leaders and parties. and when she learnt about people's struggle under occupation and colonialism, she stood in solidarity with them . she now stands with palestine and armenia and kashmir and every oppressed person in the world. she could have been rich as fuck by simply remaining as a climate activist. yet she chose to do the right thing. i love her for her integrity.
yes this!!
not to be that person but climate change activism made no one rich and greta has never spoken about kashmir. I wondered why op would insert kashmir in there and checked out their blog....well. It seems to contain ton of curated misinformation about kashmir and anti-india propaganda. It's sad that greta's bravery is being used as an opportunity for subconscious manipulation.
interesting how it's always "iranian regime" and never "israeli regime" and definetly never "iran, where the us and uk overthrew a democratically elected leader because the iranian parliment voted to nationalise iranian oil to stop foreign countries profiting off of their resources, with the western powers' actions ultimatly leading to the islamic republic of iran that they so fear"
