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Independence and gratefulness are interesting traits, not only on a
personal level but also on the collective level.

In 1947, Israel was offered independence.

It wasn't the first offer.

In 1917, the Balfour Declaration supported a national home for the
Jewish people from the river to the sea. On the other side of the river,
in Jordan, an area four times larger than Israel, was offered to the Arabs.


Unfortunately, the British sold the same horse (Israel, the WB and Gaza)
to two buyers at the same time (the Jews and the Arabs).

In the 1947 partition plan, the Jews were very disappointed to find out
that they were offered ~50% of the initial offer. It was a bitter pill.

However, the Jews, with their longing for independence, were stronger
than any feeling of disappointment or any other dispute. The newly born Israelis were grateful.

On the other side, the Arabs, who would later become the Palestinians,
were far less willing to accept the idea of sharing the land. They
rejected the UN partition plan, they rejected their independence, and
have been dependent since then.

They were so ungrateful that they opened a war a day after Israel
declared its independence in 1948. The war that the Arabs started to
destroy Israel was the same war that led to the catastrophe - the Nakba.

Ever since, the Arabs, and later the Palestinians, have been getting unprecedented financial support from many countries and from a very
special organization - UNRWA.

The ongoing support had never promoted independence - quite the opposite.

This continued support ensures the Palestinians will never become
independent.

UNRWA can be viewed as a mom refusing to start diaper training for her 77-year-old kid.

The way UNRWA approached the Palestinians can be termed as infantilization.


Are the Palestinians grateful for the vast support they have received?

Namely, have you ever heard a Palestinian leader publicly thanking the incredible donations from the West?


The largest share of this support is coming from the US, and yet, on
9/11, one of the darkest hours in American history, the Palestinians
were celebrating in the streets.


Let us compare the annual aid delivered to Gaza with that of one of the
poorest countries in the world.


Gaza receives an overwhelmingly higher amount of aid per person.

If this aid had reached the people directly, it could have provided free
food and basic needs for 2.3 million inhabitants.

Unfortunately, this aid is funneled for corrupt leadership and terror,
leaving the Gazans with nothing.

And what had been the international response?

More aid.

This is infantilization, again. A mistaken belief by many in the West
that if you give the Palestinians everything they want, eventually
they'll be satisfied.

For many years, this situation allowed the elected government, Hamas, to exploit the funds and buy plenty of arms, free from caring for their own people, as the West is taking care of feeding the Gazans.

The tragic result: funds meant to alleviate the suffering in Gaza were repurposed to aggravate the suffering in Israel.

The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank receives an annual aid of 2.5 billion USD. About 12% of this budget is allocated for pay-for-slay
salaries for the families of those who managed to harm Israelis.


This is not an acceptable way to show gratitude for the West.

In essence, Europe, the US, and other countries are financing the
perpetuation of this violent conflict.

One word about morality:

Was this governmental policy of the PA that promotes pay-for-slay
referenced, or did it receive a response from any international tribunal?

ICC – Nope. ICJ – Nada. UN – Zilch. Amnesty International – Nuh-uh.

As cynical as it is, as biased as it is, and as hypocritical as it is,
we must continue living with these institutions.

So… what's next?

Many in the West believe the solution is simple: give the Palestinians a
state.

But history tells a different story.

Here is a timeline of attempts to negotiate a Palestinian state:

1937 - Peel Commission

1947 - The UN partition plan

1949 - Armistice agreements

1973 – Geneva Peace Conference

1978 - Camp David Accords

1991 – Madrid Conference

1993 – Oslo Accords

1998 – Wye River Memorandum

2000 - Camp David Summit

2001 – Taba talks

2002 – Roadmap for peace

2008 – Olmert proposal

2010 - Obama and H. Clinton Initiative

2013 – Kerry Framework

2020 – Trump Peace plan

Again and again, the Palestinians were offered a path to independence.

Again and again, they rejected it—unable or unwilling to make
concessions, compromise, or take real steps toward statehood.

This is the essence of infantilization:

Treating the Palestinians as passive victims, rather than as political
actors with agency and responsibility.

It's a fantasy many in the West still cling to - that if you just give
them a state, the conflict will disappear.

In the Middle East, generosity without conditions isn't seen as kindness
- it's seen as weakness.

Ask for nothing, and you'll get no gratitude. Instead, you'll be asked
for more.

Those familiar with the region understand: assertiveness is essential.

You must ask for something in return. You must draw red lines.

When it comes to future aid and recognition for the Palestinians, here
are the things that must be demanded:

1. No more indoctrination for Jew-hatred in schools.

2. No government salaries for terror.

3. Disbanding of terrorist organizations and deportation of the
remaining leadership.

4. Transparency of the donated funds and their allocations.

5. Regular elections – the last were 19 and 20 years ago in Gaza and the
WB, respectively. No terror organization will be allowed to run.

6. Any attempt to engage in terror would lead to immediate reductions or
total withdrawal of aid.

These conditions are the bare minimum. Failure to comply with any of
these will only perpetuate war and will only cause both sides more pain
and suffering.

Currently, Gaza is starving. But not because of a blockade. Gaza is
getting twice as much aid as it got before Oct 7.

The actual reason for the shortage in food is Hamas, which confiscates
the aid and controls it.

Hamas feeds its own people.

Hamas sells aid—meant to be distributed for free—at overpriced rates,
using the profits to fund its terror operations.

Hamas controls the aid to promote a famine campaign where its citizens
pay the price.

What's next?

If the international community truly cares about the Palestinian people,
then flood Gaza with aid - so much that Hamas can't possibly control or monopolize it. Not only to alleviate the hunger, but also to strip Hamas
of its grip on controlling the food. That would make Hamas irrelevant.
Only then could we talk about the day after the war.


And after that?

Gaza must return to farming.

For years, Hamas had systematically dismantled vital industries,
including agriculture, as Hamas flourishes in an environment of poverty
and despair.

The best help Gaza can get will be in the from seeds and seedlings.

The Palestinians will know what to do next. I've been there with them
when I was 13.

Gaza must start providing its own food, and mind less about terror.

This is the path to make Gaza independent. Only then will Gaza be grateful.

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and you
feed him for a lifetime."

References:

International aid to Palestinians - Wikipedia
Before Oslo Accords Before the signing of the Oslo Accords ,
international aid for the West Bank and Gaza came mainly from Western
and Arab states, mostly through UN agencies such as UNRWA . Most
programs were started or developed during the 1970s, and expanded during
the 1980s. Most of the aid was channeled through PNGOs or INGOs. [ 11 ] Although the stance of the donors during the pre-Oslo period is regarded
by some analysts, such as Rex Brynen, as controversial and linked with phenomena such as corruption, nationalism and factional rivalries, [ 12
] International aid effectively financed a series of programs in the
sectors of agriculture, infrastructure, housing and education. [ 13 ]
Oslo Accords The Oslo Accords , officially signed [ 14 ] on September
13, 1993, contained substantial provisions on economic matters and international aid: Annex IV of the Declaration of Principles (DoP)
discusses regional cooperation and implicitly calls for major
international aid efforts to help the Palestinians, Jordan, Israel and
the entire region. [ 15 ] On October 1, 1993, the international donor
community (nations and institutions [ 16 ] ) met in Washington to
mobilize support for the peace process, and pledged to provide
approximately $2.4 billion to the Palestinians over the course of the
next five years. [ 17 ] The international community's action was based
on the premise that it was imperative to garner all financial resources
needed to make the agreement successful, and with a full understanding
that in order for the Accords to stand in the face of daily challenges
on the ground, ordinary Palestinians needed to perceive positive change
in their lives. [ 18 ] Therefore, the donors had two major goals: to
fuel Palestinian economic growth and to build public support for
negotiations with Israel. [ 19 ] According to Scott Lasensky,
"throughout the follow-up talks to the DoP that produced the
Gaza-Jericho Agreement (May 1994), the Early Empowerment Agreement
(August 1994), the Interim Agreement (September 1995), and the Hebron
Accord (January 1997), [...] economic aid hovered over the process and
remained the single most critical external component buttressing the
PNA." [ 20 ] 1993–2000 Between 1993 and 1997 the PNA faced serious
economic and financial problems. [ 21 ] International aid prevented the collapse of the local economy, and contributed to the establishment of
the Palestinian administration. [ 22 ] Donors' pledges continued to
increase regularly (their value had risen to approximately $3,420
million as of the end of October 1997) as a result of the faltering
peace process, along with the increase in needs and the consequent
increase in the assistance necessary for Palestinians to survive. [ 23 ] Reality led, however, to a revision of the donors' priorities: [ 24 ]
Out of concern that the deteriorating economic conditions could result
in a derailment of the peace process, donor support was redirected to
finance continued budgetary shortfalls, hous https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_aid_to_Palestinians https://www.usaid.gov/south-sudan/humanitarian-assistance#%3A~%3Atext%3DToday%2C%20the%20United%20States%20remains%2Cover%20the%20last%20five%20years.

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