There is no reason Gaza cannot import grand pianos

Usually I don't bother wasting my time with the Mondoweiss blog, but I happened to come across a piece by a person who teaches Gaza kids the violin over Skype because Israel doesn't allow him into Gaza.

Here is a representative excerpt:

Israel’s tight grip on life in Palestine is spun as the regrettable consequence of its right to self-defense. This, like the very idea that putting down resistance to its oppression is “defense”, is a lie. Stifling Palestinian achievement is itself the goal of Israel’s interference, because the Zionist narrative requires the dehumanization of anyone in the way of its ambitions. Israel needs to depict Palestine, and above all Gaza, as a nest of marauders. Palestine must never be seen as a civilization nurturing artists, writers, scientists, scholars—and violinists.

The BBC recently aired a piece entitled “Saving Gaza’s only grand piano”, a feel-good item that reported the discovery and restoration of a grand piano damaged in Israel’s 2014 “Protective Edge” attacks. In a virtually Orwellian reversal, the BBC referred to that onslaught as a “war with Israel”, and left its audience with the impression that Gaza would have a more flourishing music scene if only—well, if only ruling Hamas weren’t so conservative. One need not make any excuses for Hamas’ faults to point out that it is not Hamas that bombs Gaza to ruins and suffocates it under siege.

Apparently, those Jews are so evil that they actively work to ensure that Gazans cannot enjoy culture. Because somehow they are in the way of Zionist ambitions. Which makes it hard to understand why those Zionists left Gaza. But consistency is not exactly a hallmark of Mondoweiss - hate is, and this piece is filled with it. But it is hate dressed up as a love of culture, so it is an acceptable - nay, an admirable - expression of hate.

I have news for the author. That Zionist entity that he claims is besieging Gaza both physically and culturally would not block the import of more grand pianos. I have been told by the people who run Kerem Shalom that they have seen Jacuzzis and Mercedes and other luxury products pass through without a problem. But the haters at Mondoweiss don't want people to know that.

There is one other word not mentioned at all in this anti-Israel screed: Egypt. While the author whines that "Israel blocked me from entering the coastal strip" he neevr says that he attempted to enter it through Egypt, the Rafah crossing that Israel has no control over.

The crossing that has allowed exactly zero people to cross in either direction since Ramadan. While Israel has allowed thousands to cross in both directions.

No, this hater doesn't want to water down his criticism of Israel by mentioning that Gaza is besieged by their fellow Arabs. The Goliath Jew vs. David Arab narrative is so much easier for propaganda purposes, and Egypt's security fears from Gaza cannot be as airily dismissed as the author pooh-poohs Hamas rockets which he claims are only in retaliation to Israeli actions towards a sector that they left.

Sometimes you just have to shake your head that people actually believe this crap.