The Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza

According to wiki, "A humanitarian crisis (or "humanitarian disaster") is an event or series of events which represents a critical threat to the health, safety, security or well being of a community or other large group of people, usually over a wide area. Armed conflicts, epidemics, famine, natural disasters and other major emergencies may all involve or lead to a humanitarian crisis."

However, we are later told, "There is no simple categorization of humanitarian crises. Different communities and agencies tend to have definitions related to the concrete situations they face."

So, when Greta Berlin trumpets the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as the reason for her deep animus against Israel and Jews, there is no standard with which she has to comply when she describes Gaza condition as meriting humanitarian concern. And justifiably so. When the term "humanitarian" has been applied to suffering in Gaza, it has been so manipulated and diluted as to mean almost any kind of frustration experienced by the population due to Hamas's policies vis-a-vis Israel. 

Thus, read and weep:

"On a good day Rosy’s takes £500. Faris says they should be making £5,000.  Last Thursday, during an escalation in the fighting, Israeli jets dropped a bomb on an empty building behind Rosy’s. The blast shattered every piece of glass in his building, which cost Faris £6,300 to replace."

This spa story brings to mind Norman Finkelstein's "satirical" view of suffering in Israel due to terror attacks:

 

"Times Exclusive: Deranged Arab in bulldozer attacks NY Times' Isabel Kershner at her pedicure. Reporting live from the scene still in her curlers and with her beautician at her side, Kershner gives a minute by minute account of the horrifying moment when the bulldozer crashed through the pedicure's window front crushing the nail on her little toe. "My friends in the Catskills just won't believe it," she said. "A smashed toenail. How can Israelis live with so much anxiety?"

Do you see the irony?