Palestine ... & lessons of WW II
many british fighter planes were hit by german antiaircraft guns during world war ii, so the british air force decided to add some iron armor to them but this would increase their weight and maneuverability, so mathematicians and engineers were asked to study the use of protective shields.
from the analysis of injuries, it was found that the planes that returned safely received an average of two bullets per square foot near the tail of the planes, while they received approximately one bullet per square foot closest to the engine.
thus, it was logical to add armament to the aircraft’s tail because it was exposed to more bullets, but a mathematician named abraham wald said otherwise. the need requires the protection of parts of the aircraft that have not been exposed to bullets, i.e. around the engines.
airplanes that were hit in their engines have not returned to their bases at all. he cited as an example of the situation of the wounded on the battlefields.
the number of those who were shot in the legs or shoulders was more than those who received them in the chest, and this means that the latter died.
these historical facts are featured in jordan ellenberg’s book ‘how not to be wrong.
if we look at the arab-israeli conflict, we will find that the resistance has taken roughly more than seventy years, the same strategies and plans in its struggle with israel, and the leaders and organizations have made the same mistakes time and time again.
from the beginning, they stood on the wrong side, and bet on hitler only because he hates the jews, and not because he is the most useful to the cause.
hitler, as stated in a book by the palestinian writer nasser al-nashashibi (1920-2013), despised the arabs, and placed them, within his ethnic classification, in the 14th gendarmerie, before the jews and people of black skin.
the losing bets of the palestinian leaders continued for decades, the last of which was their standing side by side with the tyrant saddam hussein on the day he invaded kuwait and against the kuwaiti people who were the most devoted and honest to their cause since day one.
they also put their cause in the hands of their ‘brothers’ who differ from each other in everything, so their differences were reflected in their cause, and they did not learn anything from this lesson and they are still betting on them.
a bigger part of them also bet on the muslim brotherhood, and they continue to do so in spite of all the damage that has befallen them because they have remained loyal to the people of religious beliefs and not in national beliefs. as for their bet on iran, feel free to talk.
they also continued to cling to dreams of complete liberation, and delusions of rhetoric that tickle their emotions, and how many believe that the demise of israel and the return of the right is near, just by reading an article by an israeli writer predicting that demise, or hearing a statement by a western personality saying the same thing, unaware that all these words and statements will not change anything on the ground.
the solution to the cause will not advance an inch unless we forget, reconcile, sit down and study the mistakes of an entire century, during which the palestinians have paid a heavy price, and their leaders have lost all possible opportunities.
