Great article, especially on what motivates the Palestinian Resistance and how the idea of fighting for a cause is alien or outright ignored by commentators in the West.
One thing that I haven't seen discussed much is the difference in the level and quality of training between the fighters on both sides, especially the IDF. I have noticed that the IDF frequently has soldiers with the rank of sergeant who are less than 20 years old, and there are officers ranked major and higher who are less than 30 years old. In most militaries, it takes years to reach these ranks. I was in a NATO military for a few years when I was younger, and while the training wasn't anything to write home about, seeing the rabble in the IDF call themselves a 'military' is surreal. Most Western militaries are just glorified colonial police forces, but the IDF seems to take this to the extreme, countless videos have been published showing their soldiers looting and destroying property. On the flipside the conduct of the Palestinian Resistance has been incredible, even after 6 months they are still contesting Khan Younis and have proven themselves as capable as any military force on the planet.
The training and motivation could also boil down to the settler-colonial nature of Israel I suppose. The Palestinians are fighting for their land. While the settlers can always go back home to Philadelphia, Russia, Poland, or where ever.
Great article, especially on what motivates the Palestinian Resistance and how the idea of fighting for a cause is alien or outright ignored by commentators in the West.
One thing that I haven't seen discussed much is the difference in the level and quality of training between the fighters on both sides, especially the IDF. I have noticed that the IDF frequently has soldiers with the rank of sergeant who are less than 20 years old, and there are officers ranked major and higher who are less than 30 years old. In most militaries, it takes years to reach these ranks. I was in a NATO military for a few years when I was younger, and while the training wasn't anything to write home about, seeing the rabble in the IDF call themselves a 'military' is surreal. Most Western militaries are just glorified colonial police forces, but the IDF seems to take this to the extreme, countless videos have been published showing their soldiers looting and destroying property. On the flipside the conduct of the Palestinian Resistance has been incredible, even after 6 months they are still contesting Khan Younis and have proven themselves as capable as any military force on the planet.
The training and motivation could also boil down to the settler-colonial nature of Israel I suppose. The Palestinians are fighting for their land. While the settlers can always go back home to Philadelphia, Russia, Poland, or where ever.
Wow. Great article! Provided so much clarity and perspective.