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Marc Benioff joins Valley notables backing Gaza’s first coding academy

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Re: Marc Benioff joins Valley notables backing Gaza’s first coding academy

#71
post #63
post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Israel has no interest in Gaza, they just want them to stop trying to attack This is false and one-sided. Likud, the ruling party in Israel, has in its platform an explicit denial of the right for a Palestinian state to exist west of the Jordan river.[1] Everything you've heard about Palestinians/Hamas denying Israel the right to exist is actually true about Israel as well towards Palestine. (In fact Hamas has stat…

> In fact Hamas has stated they would respect a two-state solution Sure, but will they agree to actual terms? Terms that Israel won't instantly reject?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamas_Covenant

The Charter identified Hamas as the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine and declares its members to be Muslims who "fear God and raise the banner of Jihad in the face of the oppressors." The charter states that "our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious" and calls for the eventual creation of an Islamic state in Palestine, in place of Israel and the Palestinian Territories,[2] and the obliteration or dissolution of Israel.[3][4] It emphasizes the importance of jihad, stating in article 13, "There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are all a waste of time and vain endeavors."[5]"

Re: Marc Benioff joins Valley notables backing Gaza’s first coding academy

#72
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As if their hate has anything to do with Israel's actions not sure if this is a serious statement or not. your tone suggests serious but your words are not serious.

Perhaps you don't know that Muslim attacks on Jews long predate the modern state of Israel. Additionally hate for Jews is common in Arab counties that are very far away from, and don't interact with, Israel at all. There is nothing at all Israel can do to change this. Look at Egypt for example - very long and successful peace treaty. But the populace still hates Jews. If it's not possible to make an ordinary Egyptian…

This is a generalization. I'm from Algeria.. Saying Jews are "hated" is simplistic. In other countries? Maybe, I don't know.. Here? There's only a seeming anti-Jewish sentiment, but there's way more to it than that: it's akin to estranged brothers than anything else.

You can notice it in traditions, in food, in music (have a look at התזמורת האנדלוסית הישראלית). Many Muslim musicians here used to go to the Synagogue because their friends playing in the same band were Jewish. And that's not that long ago, these people are still alive.

A bit back in time, Jews found a place to live here after being thrown out of Spain in 1492 because of the Catholic reform. To this day, there are towns with strong Jewish heritage. The "hate" you're talking about is only superficial, and only from the people who'd behave that way no matter where they are in the world.. Clothes have prêt-à-porter, thoughts have prêt-à-penser. Not all people can afford bespoke clothes and it's even more true with beliefs. They pick what's available, the easiest to wear, something not too challenging, not too far beyond the Overton window.

It's amazingly easy to talk with them and completely shatter that "hate" in 5 minutes. I've done it so many times that the pattern is clear. If it were hate, what I said would be so much against their beliefs that I would be attacked. Hate is not something you can shatter in 5 minutes, so this must be something else..

It's mainly lack of contact and communication that makes it easy to think that, somehow, Jews are a "different" specie. Once someone thinks they're a different specie, there's a feature void to fill, which people fill with their fears. I've been learning Hebrew and have corresponded a couple of times in it. I'm learning because of the culture but to tap into all which doesn't make the news: stuff regular folks do. There isn't a single one person I have told who hasn't been curious and intrigued about it and wanted to know more, or encouraged me.

Generalizations and simplifications are tempting because they work sometimes but this is exactly what I'm talking about. You don't like them because you think they don't like you, and they don't like you because they think you don't like them.

Everyday, conversations are taking place that address these issues and people are taking all kinds of perceptual positions. Hard questions that get talked about in groups of people who don't let you take the easy way out. People aren't dumb, despite what the media makes them look like.

And on that note, Happy Yennayer 2967. Today's the new year of my ethnic group.

Re: Marc Benioff joins Valley notables backing Gaza’s first coding academy

#73

I've been to Israel many times including during the time of the first Gaza conflict (Cast Lead). There were elections in 2006 and Hamas was elected over Fatah. Hamas does not recognize Israel and is declared a terrorist state by the US, EU as well as Israel. There were supposed to be elections in 2010 but Hamas will not allow them. Hamas has spent large sums of money shooting missiles into Israel and using concrete m…

> There were elections in 2006 and Hamas was elected over Fatah. If the people of the land don't elect the party we prefer (by cross-checking with our terrorist list) we have no choice but to support their seige, occupation and Apartheid.

The Palestinians elected a terrorist organization that shot missiles into Israel killing civilians that also refuses to recognize Israel.

Egypt has closed off their border and flooded illegal tunnels to Gaza as well.

I was a few miles away from the World Trade Center in Upper West Side Manhattan on 9/11. I don't feel kindly toward people that elect terrorist organizations to be their government. Sorry if that bothers you.

Re: Marc Benioff joins Valley notables backing Gaza’s first coding academy

#74

Having volunteered with Gaza Sky Geeks (GSG) and been on the ground all I can say is that this is a big positive in the region and for the people living in Gaza. You would not believe how welcoming and hard working Palestinians are. There is a generalization because of the conflict but at the end of the day these are people like you and me trying to achieve their goals in a positive way. There is a political situatio…

Good on you for donating your time like that. How did you get involved with GSG? How long will you be there for? Cheers.

I applied to be a mentor on their website after reading about the accelerator.

You can also donate to their current campaign to help create the coding academy, which I've also done, after seeing it in person I can personally say it's fantastic and students there told me how much it's changing their lives, making them more confident and hopeful about opportunities for their future.

Link is here: http://www.powerupgazageeks.com/

Re: Marc Benioff joins Valley notables backing Gaza’s first coding academy

#75
post #29
post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gaza has chosen a confrontational attitude with their neighbors Egypt and Israel. When Israel withdrew from Gaza they proceeded to promptly demolish the greenhouses that Israel left (and I believed donors actually purchased for them). Next was lynching their fellow Palestinians who happened to support Fatah rather than Hamas. Tunneling under the borders. Rocket attacks ... For sure there are two sides to the story an…

And the solution is to indiscriminately bomb Gaza and then prevent it from rebuilding once the bombing is over? What did the children ever do to deserve watching their parents or friends or teachers die before their very eyes? Do you even realize how difficult it would be for a child to live life normally after their school is destroyed? How do you think such actions will affect young children? If you were one of the…

Tell this to the children of Sderot in Israel, who have been repeatedly under attack by the Islamist Hamas regime in Gaza.

The murder of Jews is regularly lauded by official Hamas spokesmen, and such murders are routinely celebrated by the Palestinian masses (http://www.dailywire.com/news/6451/palestinians-murder-israe...).

The solution is for Hamas to give up its dream of the liquidation of Israel and its replacement with an Islamist regime in which Jews are second-class citizens, in accord with the Islamist interpretation of Koranic verses which call for the subjugation of Jews by means such as the jizyah tax and so on.

Re: Marc Benioff joins Valley notables backing Gaza’s first coding academy

#76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There were elections in 2006 and Hamas was elected over Fatah. If the people of the land don't elect the party we prefer (by cross-checking with our terrorist list) we have no choice but to support their seige, occupation and Apartheid.

The Palestinians elected a terrorist organization that shot missiles into Israel killing civilians that also refuses to recognize Israel. Egypt has closed off their border and flooded illegal tunnels to Gaza as well. I was a few miles away from the World Trade Center in Upper West Side Manhattan on 9/11. I don't feel kindly toward people that elect terrorist organizations to be their government. Sorry if that bothers…

http://www.ifamericansknew.org/stat/deaths.html

See also the UN OCHA report that records the 2,220 victims (67% of them civilians) of Israel's summer 2014 massacre in Gaza. 71 Israelis were killed during the same period (9% of them civilians).

So is the IDF a terrorist organization in your personal opinion?

> I was a few miles away from the World Trade Center in Upper West Side Manhattan on 9/11. I don't feel kindly toward people that elect terrorist organizations to be their government. Sorry if that bothers you.

Classic - equating Hamas with Al Qaeda and hence justifying prejudice against millions of Palestenians, victims of Apartheid, seige and civilian massacres by IDF in one smooth sentence.

So Khalid Sheikh Mohammed killing civilians is a justification for IDF killing the same number or more civilians.

Once again, is the IDF a terrorist organization in your personal opinion?

Re: Marc Benioff joins Valley notables backing Gaza’s first coding academy

#78
post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps you don't know that Muslim attacks on Jews long predate the modern state of Israel. Additionally hate for Jews is common in Arab counties that are very far away from, and don't interact with, Israel at all. There is nothing at all Israel can do to change this. Look at Egypt for example - very long and successful peace treaty. But the populace still hates Jews. If it's not possible to make an ordinary Egyptian…

Read it and weep: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavon_Affair Israel has a history of attacking itself and blaming it on Muslims. Israel is Awful (Government, not all the people). IDF (Israeli Military) was established by Israeli Terrorist groups.

> IDF (Israeli Military) was established by Israeli Terrorist groups.

Hamas is only a terrorist group, in the present day.

If this matters to you, why does it only apply in one direction?

Re: Marc Benioff joins Valley notables backing Gaza’s first coding academy

#79

Having volunteered with Gaza Sky Geeks (GSG) and been on the ground all I can say is that this is a big positive in the region and for the people living in Gaza. You would not believe how welcoming and hard working Palestinians are. There is a generalization because of the conflict but at the end of the day these are people like you and me trying to achieve their goals in a positive way. There is a political situatio…

I volunteered there as well (with jbermudez5), and have never been so deeply impressed by a group of people as I was by Gaza Sky Geeks. I've spent my professional career conducting tech research in developing countries in SE Asia and the Middle East, and have never seen such challenging circumstances for developing a company as I did in Gaza - and yet everyone there continues to aspire to greatness.

The opportunities for economic growth in the region are incredibly limited (40%+ unemployment; 40% below the poverty line; 80% dependent on some kind of foreign aid; ~50% dependent on UN food aid alone; extreme barriers to importing or exporting physical goods), and yet they enjoy relatively high levels of infrastructure and education (97% literacy; 20% population with a college degree - higher than in the West Bank; female/male near-equality w/r/t education levels; decent internet). All of this combines to make tech investments especially appealing.

I got the feeling in Gaza - relative to many other countries lacking these resources that have garnered a great deal of attention from the tech community in recent years, such as India, Brazil, and more - that the development of tech companies (especially tech, due to minimal infrastructure needs) there can make a significant contribution to the regional economy. The group's additional devotion to including women in the accelerator is especially laudable, and has contributed to an incredibly rich workspace.

There's a lot more info on the crowdfunding website too: http://www.powerupgazageeks.com/

Re: Marc Benioff joins Valley notables backing Gaza’s first coding academy

#80
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a network engineer I am immensely curious what the internet in Gaza looks like at OSI layers 1-3: what are the upstream routes in and out, who are the commercial ISPs, what IP space do they have, what are their BGP adjacencies, etc?

Not that this answers your question but it might shed some light: when I went last year, I ran tracert to google.com. The only interesting thing I remember is everything went through the West Bank. Great question though - I'm curious too.

Also not an answer to the question, but Israel laid cable there prior to exiting, and so the infrastructure didn't emerge in isolation. You should ask one of the Gaza geeks to send you a tracert!
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