Or is it a very early Purim spiel?
The Times of Israel has this item telling us that "Egyptian security forces have pumped water into smuggling tunnels and intensified their patrols along the border with Gaza in a bid to crack down on smuggling activity, Palestinian media reported Monday." Now, that I can take on board and even believe. Ever since terrorists smuggling goods through the tunnels into Gaza ambushed Egyptian soldiers and killed 16 of them, this has not been Morsi's favourite part of the world, Moslem Brotherhood big shot or not.
However, it's the next bit that took my breath away: "Tunnel owners in Rafah..." Tunnel owners!? You mean somebody (possibly other than Hamas) makes a profit out of this? It's a business? Dick Stanley, politics and joking aside, as a supporter of capitalism and free enterprise, you have to support this, even if you don't accept the ends to which this effort is directed.
These capitalists are even installing pumps at their end of the tunnels to pump the water out again. It all, obviously, comes down to who has the bigger and better pumps.
By: Brian Goldfarb
33 minutes ago
9 comments:
The information about the tunnel industry in Gaza is quite true, the business (and it is a business, mind you) is huge, in tens of millions ($$). Moreover, it is done under protection, assistance and sponsorship of Hamas. Only a small part of the stuff passing through the tunnels is arms, a lot of "civilian" materials go through too.
Now, don't think that Hamas does it for pure altruism. They collect a tax from tunnel owners/operators. A substantial one, too.
And, of course, the technical savvy of the tunnel diggers is used to do the same or similar under the Gaza/Israel border.
That last bit I knew, Snoopy, I'd just never guessed the scale of the value (both as profit and as taxes) this involves. Does Israel extract tax on goods going into Gaza? Or does flow across a tax-free border?
Seeing as it is Egyptian border, I doubt. Of course, Bibi would like nothing more than to get some additional taxes, but for this he will turn to the usual means...
How come I get to be your representative of capitalism? Do you know so few capitalists? I don't have to support anything just because you say I do.
I've read elsewhere that Hamas has sent hundreds of volunteers to Cairo to help keep Morsi in power, so he couldn't hate them all that much.
The triumph of the free-enterprise system over government interference. A touching story to warm every capitalist heart
Where would government be without capitalist taxes?
Dick, it's just that you comment here and have made clear your support for free enterprise and Israel. I was trying to be witty.
Ah well, just have to fail again with the wit!
;-)
Brian: taxing the tunnel owners has been a significant revenue stream for the HAMAS gov't. If they are blocking tunnels off or otherwise rendering them useless, either the owners failed to pay up, or this is job creation for the excavation teams.
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