Pity and Patronizing

Adi Dvir sez "don't pity the Palestinians." Why? Because "To pity the people of Gaza is to patronize them." What should be the proper attitude? Belligerently backing their slaughter at the hands of the IDF, of course!

This is a common trope in reactionary thought. There is no greater crime in human relations than to patronize someone (that such things can issue from the mouths of the very same people who described Muntadar al-Zaidi's protest as demonstrative of Iraqi freedom is only the tip of the ironic iceberg.) I think a strong case could be made that callousness in the face of suffering (described by Baldwin as the only way to be "truly despicable") is a far more grievous offense.