SOME MUSINGS ON PROPORTIONALITY In the context of populations, election percentages, and ideology
Bob Martin Sderot, Israel 17 Tevet 5769 13 January 2009 Percentages are approximate and subject to revision. Figures are taken from news reports but are also approximated. For the purpose of stimulating discussion, this "blunt instrument" approach should be sufficient. I welcome corrections and clarifications. BACKGROUND In 2005, the State of Israel forcibly removed every Jew from Gaza and parts of Samaria. In early 2006, at the insistence of the United States, Hamas and Fatah competed with each other in elections held in Gaza and Judea-Samaria. Hamas got approximately 60% of the vote, Fatah 40%. This was widely reported as a surprise to everyone. I was living in Samaria at the time and it was no surprise to any of us there. We'd been seeing the Hamas flag everywhere for months. Muslims hailing a cab had long been using the Hamas sign of the right-hand index finger pointing up. That same sign in the form of a logo was emblazoned on buses, taxis, and even the t-shirts of some of the Muslims working on the "separation barrier" that's supposed to protect us from terrorists. It was a bit confusing when "the Middle East's only Democracy" first allowed the radically anti-democratic Hamas on the ballot, and then prevented them from fully exercising their democratic political mandate in Samaria. Gaza was another matter. In Gaza, Israel encouraged and directly aided Hamas in its assumption of power. I've become jaded enough to think that the State of Israel was playing an intentionally morbid and cynical strategic game, setting up a circumstance that would result in the Cast Lead debacle that's unfolding right in front of our eyes and ears, only 2 km West of me. By the magic of "Democracy" and the frantic Kissinger-style busybody red-rag-chewing bleeding-heart photo op shuttle diplomacy of the Condi Rice State Department... by this magic the 1.5 million inhabitants of Gaza came under Hamas control. Given the widely reported election statistics this means that 900,000 or so Gazans wanted Hamas in power. While the vast majority (99.99%) of the Muslims and a similar percentage of The Left in Israel agree with Hamas' ideology regarding the existence of the State of Israel, figure only about 600,000 as the number of people in Gaza who were willing to fight Israel straight up. With a generous tooth-to-tail ratio, of that group, estimate 300,000 hard-core combatants to an equal number of support personnel. BODY COUNT Thus far about 800 or so Hamasniks and Fatahniks have been given their just reward (allegedly 70 or so doe-eyed virgins) by the IDF. For argument's sake, say 1,000 have been so rewarded. This means that .33% (less than half a percent) of the hard-core combatants have been killed by the IDF. There are still 299,000 hard-core combatants in Gaza who are ready, willing, and able to rave, rape, rip, rend, rocket, and kidnap at the first opportunity. Where are the charts showing this harsh disproportionate reality? Imagine such charts being poured over by furrow-browed, finger-wagging, just-came-off-a-binge Talking Heads and Ex-Military Pundits on CNN, Al Jazeera, Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS, BBC, Israel Channel 2, and other TV outlets; or splattered in 3-D color-contrasted psychedelia by JPost, YNet, Haaretz, WSJ, NYT, CSM, and all the other outlets for the shrill critics of Israel. Imagine a sane and patriotic Political echelon that really wanted to put an end to terrorism and force our eternally mendacious and hyper-malicious neighbors and cousins to live in peace. Imagine 600,000 of the 1.5 million Gazans dead. 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