I guess there is a practical frame of mind, and a reflective one. Take for instance the terrible situation of the Gaza civilians who find themselves in the midst of fighting: people of the practical frame of mind are either demanding solutions, or coming up with them. The Arab "street" and its fellow-travelers see the practical solution to the plight of Gaza civilians in the immediate end of Israel's operation: since Hamas will not give up violence, Israel, for the sake of the well-being and comfort of Gaza civilians, should stop its own defensive operation and endure terrorist rocketing in silence. Israelis, equally appalled by the Gazans' suffering, found a different practical way to alleviate it - they allowed shipment of massive quantities of foods and medicine into Gaza and even offered Gaza aid corridor.
Well, apparently I have a reflective frame of mind. Call me callous and cynical, but BBC's report describing the suffering of the Gaza civilians triggered in my mind not the thoughts of how to better help the hapless Gazans, but a reflection on democracy and consequences of democratic elections. For the words "Gaza Civilians -- Hamas -- Israel" which nowadays have only a bloody connotation of "Operation Cast Lead," also rings a bell of "Palestinian Democracy" and "Gaza elections" because a couple of years ago, in a free and democratic election the Gaza Civilians, electrified by Hamas' fiery promises to destroy Israel, gave most of their votes to these terrorists - who honestly tried to deliver on their electoral promises.
With the result that today, as per Red Cross' Pierre Kraehenbuhl quoted in the above-mentioned BBC report, "For the people inside Gaza, the situation has become intolerable."
Well, hopefully, the Israeli humanitarian corridor and aid shipments will help.
And hopefully, the Gaza civilians will learn this lesson: in democracy, there is no one to blame -- you get what you vote for. Choose your course, and your leaders, wisely.
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