To all the folks gloating about gazans not having a functioning

[ExciteBike66]

Civil government...

Lots of comments about how gazans ruined their Water supply by electing hamas, some commenters even joking about the (life- threatening) lack of potable Water.

Hamas was elected with only like 44% of the vote and hasn't allowed any further elections. Of course, none of that vote total includes the 900k children in gaza.

[Igel]

1. Also doesn't include those who reached voting age in the last 15 years or so, that is, since 2007.

A lot of people (including me) have at times asked why, if the majority disagree with a regime, they let it continue. I thought that when I was a teen about the Union of Socialist Soviet Republics, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, various other regimes where I was confidently told by some that a majority didn't support.

Then I read about revolutions and coups and putsches and the like. Each required a cohort of zealots or "patriots" or loyalists who were sure that theirs was the One True Way to take power or refuse to yield power--whether socialists who wanted to build socialism, Nazis, Fascists. Then the was the unwashed masses, who just want to be left alone (and in some irritating cases just that they'd benefit materially, not ideologically). Then those who *would* fight--but not on their own because that would be certain death, and might not even voice dissent in some "tolerance is intolerance" societies and under some "some speech is too dangerous" regimes for the same fear of hurting their family and loved ones--pretty much did nothing. In some cases they did and sought any allies they could, good or bad--the Russian White Army, Ukrainians. But if you don't trust that you have a good chance of winning (or have a religious belief that you can win in death), why commit suicide unless you're a zealot for the cause, not a defender of majority will?

Currently Gaza has no functioning government and it's chaos. But that level of organization and goods distribution and taxation and control was a completely functioning government--one that was either oppressive and instilled fear, enjoyed distrust among the population for other components of the population, or had massive buy-in from the population.

[lapucelle]

2. I haven't seen anyone gloating about Gazans not having a functioning governrment

Who is joking about the lack of water?

Do you have links?

[SickOfTheOnePct]

3. Nor I n/t

[Beastly Boy]

4. I pity the Gazans for not having a functioning civil government.

It's a tragedy, not something to gloat over.

And the tragedy the impoverished Gazans are going through today has a lot to do with decades of neglect they suffered under Hamas.