US Plan for Gaza: More Governance, Less Democracy – Again?
France24 correctly notes the US plan for post-war Gaza governance pointedly omits 'democracy'—a detail about as surprising as finding out the 'liberated' oil fields mysteriously stayed with the liberators. The proposed 'technocratic committee' overseen by an 'international envoy' sounds suspiciously like every colonial carve-up from the Sykes-Picot Agreement to the post-invasion Iraqi Council.
Back in 2006, after Palestinians actually voted for Hamas in a transparent election (monitored by Jimmy Carter, no less), the US and its allies swiftly cut off aid and effectively punished them for choosing the 'wrong' government. (Source: Carter Center, 2006 Election Report). So, the 'no suggestion of democracy' isn't an oversight; it’s a feature. The US has consistently prioritized
'stability'—read: control—over indigenous self-determination when it doesn't align with its strategic interests or those of its regional partners. One might wonder, how many times do populations need to be 'liberated' into arrangements not of their choosing before the pattern becomes utterly transparent? Democracy, it seems, is only for those who vote correctly.