Visited Palestine in 2016 - such humble people and sad to see how they are treated. This is an awesome initiative and would be awesome to help out with.
You have been banned from /r/IDF.
Tech Bootcamps in Palestine
51–60 of 82 posts
Re: Tech Bootcamps in Palestine
#52I went to Gaza in the summer of 2016 and did a mini-AMA here on HN [0]. In short, it was a tremendously rewarding experience and I'd highly recommend it. The Gazans I met were driven, friendly, and very curious about what life in the states was like. Happy to answer any questions not addressed on the site. [0] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11858963
Is calling them Gazans accepted? Some time ago they'd be referred to as Palestinians.
Re: Tech Bootcamps in Palestine
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah its perfectly acceptable and safe to do so, as you can read in the FAQ. Palestinians (I am one) have nothing against Jews
And here in France the pro-Palestinians groups are accused of increasing antisemitism... I remember that one group of Israeli student going to various universities to have discussions with French students was prevented to enter one niversity near Paris by a group of pro-Palestinian students.
Sounds like activism to me. It is retarded and insulting to label every opposition to Israel "anti-semitic".
Re: Tech Bootcamps in Palestine
#54Unfortunately the only reasons these "bootcamps" exist is to creater cheaper workforce for tech companies. They don't provide good education, just specialization in the areas that the tech companies decided they want.
While I agree to an extent, I think it does a disservice to those that want to be involved in tech and can't take 3/4 years to get a degree to get past HR for an interview.
I've worked with a few bootcamp grads in the past. Some have been absolutely woeful, and others have been some of the most skilled developers I've ever worked with. While the bootcamp itself might be a way to get cheaper workers in, I'd argue that if it's producing good developers then it's a necessary evil.
Also, experience will always be valued by good employers, and an injection of inexperience into the workforce often means rising salaries/rates for senior developers.
Re: Tech Bootcamps in Palestine
#55Unfortunately the only reasons these "bootcamps" exist is to creater cheaper workforce for tech companies. They don't provide good education, just specialization in the areas that the tech companies decided they want.
Isn't it a good step towards a greater good ? If tech companies start to hire from ME, regardless of country, those people can make an impact for their own homelands.
Depends what you mean by greater good. Offshoring is pretty good for Western managers. No appreciable benefits for Western shareholders or customers, and big negatives for Western workers.
What about the offshore workers? They might benefit for a short time until an even cheaper location opens up, that’s all. Once the jobs are mobile, they will keep moving.
Far better to create indigenous industries.
Re: Tech Bootcamps in Palestine
#56Is Gaza still controlled by Hamas?
Very much so, yes. They’re not completely unaware of the need for PR though, so you’re unlikely to be hassled. Unlikely, but I for one wouldn’t take the chance. I realize that sentiment around this issue is massively polarized, but the reality is complex. Nobody likes to talk about what persona non grata Palestinians are in other Arab nations, and the degree to which their current circumstances are the result of that. The reasoning for that policy of containment by Arab nations ranges from political expediency, through racism, into genuine fear. It’s worth understanding the rationale for the whole spectrum before making a trip to Gaza.
It’s not as simple as people on either extreme of the issue would have you believe.
Re: Tech Bootcamps in Palestine
#57I went to Gaza in the summer of 2016 and did a mini-AMA here on HN [0]. In short, it was a tremendously rewarding experience and I'd highly recommend it. The Gazans I met were driven, friendly, and very curious about what life in the states was like. Happy to answer any questions not addressed on the site. [0] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11858963
I haven't been to Gaza for a few years, I think they were still stamping passports at Erez even after they stopped stamping at TLV.
Were they still stamping at Erez in 2016?
Re: Tech Bootcamps in Palestine
#58i haven't been to palestine (yet) but one of my closest friends is palestinian from west bank (and i've been following the occupation closely since i met him 10 years ago). it is astonishing to me that they're running this in gaza as well as west bank. i wish them well and wish i could support the effort somehow.
Logistcally getting in/out of Gaza is far more difficult than the West Bank. A western passport means you get get to places like Ramallah by simply driving there, some checkpoints you barely need to slow down, others they stop you and check your passports, but even late at night at Qalandiya, a British Passport works wonders (Different story if you're from the west bank of course)
Gaza on the other hand requires a ton of permits to get in
Re: Tech Bootcamps in Palestine
#59If I apply, do I need go through israeli cutoms/police/checkpoints? I might have problems or be expelled
I travelled to Hebron and Bethlehem last month. Crossing the checkpoint was very easy. I just took an Israeli Egged bus to the settlement, visited the Cave of the Patriarchs, and walked to the checkpoint. The Israeli guard didn't mind, just glanced at my passport and visa slip. A Palestinian hostel owner who happened to be on the street asked where I was staying. I told him I was going to stay with my friend Mo, who…
> I travelled to Hebron and Bethlehem last month. Crossing the checkpoint was very easy
What's your ethnicity, what passport are you traveling on, and what's your family's religion (not your own personal religious beliefs, but your background)? Based on your username, I'm willing to bet that your situation isn't particularly applicable to the concerns OP expressed.
Israeli security is no joke, and they perform a degree of profiling that is explicitly illegal in the US (and some European countries, though to a lesser degree). There's some recent pushback against this and a few recent victories in Israeli courts for Muslims and non-Muslim Arabs, but the degree of profiling that occurs legally within Israel is still way further than what most other countries practice.
People who are from the US and Europe - particularly if they're white and especially if they're Jewish - generally have a good impression of Israeli security because they're rarely subjected to the most intrusive parts. People who are Muslim - especially if they're dark-skinned or Arab-looking - tend to have much worse experiences.
I know this will get downvoted because it's not the experience that most HN readers will have, but it is the experience that slim expects that they'll have, as evidenced by the very question they asked.
Re: Tech Bootcamps in Palestine
#60Earlier quoted context omitted.
Whataboutism doesn't really change the answer to the question... Edit: considered not responding more, but since this seems like a possible safety issue: having spent many years living in the region (and with family who still live there), if you're an openly practicing Jew you should not spend extended amounts of time in the West Bank or Gaza unless you're willing to risk your life for your cause. A day trip is proba…
> Whataboutism doesn't really change the answer to the question... I'll take that. I think it was a bit of an uneccessary thing to point out when the website tries to be neutral about the issue and just tries to do something good. Don't get me wrong, if I am ever in the middle east, I'm not stepping out of Israel.
> if I am ever in the middle east, I'm not stepping out of Israel.
Can you elaborate on this?