Meanwhile on the International front....

I'm not going to pretend to be neutral. I studied in Israel for 18 months after HS, and lived their with my family for a year just 8 years ago. I have 2 kids there now. Many friends have kids who are fighting, some in Gaza.
I just saw this thread, and it is so disappointing and at some points nauseating. Some of you I would not expect anything more from after all these years of "getting to know you", but some I really respect, even if we disagree about nearly everything. Going back forever, one side of this conflict has a policy of targeting civilians and committing war crimes if ever given the chance, uses its own civilians as human shields, firing from schools and hospitals in the hope that Israel will strike back and they will have dead children to parade before an eager international press. The other has had exceptional instances of soldiers and politicians breaking rules and being punished for it. But in the overwhelming majority of cases, aims to avoids civilian casualties often at the expense of its own soldiers- dropping leaflets in Arabic warning of upcoming attacks and telling the innocent to flee.
If after these last days you can't come up with anything other than cycle of violence / Netanyahu the monster / boogeyman settlers, I urge you to use your imagination and think about what Hamas could do that you would condemn without the hedge. Some of the most closed minded I know think they are the most open minded.

 

This will be hard to understand -- both for you and me (quite honestly).

I'd fucking love to fly a helicopter into firefights here. You can't imagine the rush of hearing gunfire around you.

 

I can imagine the rush of hearing gunfire behind me getting softer ... and softer ... and softer.

 

Nobody cares about the Palestinians except as some tool to poke Israel.

 

The satellites showing where rockets are being launched?

 

Beau on the strategy and tactics involved.

 

The older I get, the more pacifist I find myself becoming. The thought of violence against a fellow human makes less and less sense. The ones who died don’t reap the benefits of their deaths and the ones who don’t have to live with the consequences of killing and all in the name of a line on a map, who believes in which never-can-be-proven idea, money or other resources that can and should be distributed by need.

But I understand the need for defense. I understand evil exists and we can’t be passive toward it. But damn what does this get either side? Buildings to rebuild, bodies to bury and hate to fester.

Both can exist. Both need to work together to exist. But it’s hard when both accuse the other of not allowing them to exist.

Innocents are innocent. They aren’t fodder of war. They aren’t shields for the guilty. They’re innocent.

For all the evil the Jews saw, they deserve a place to live in peace that means something special to them and they deserve to no longer live in fear of annihilation. Palestinians never had a choice in the matter, either. And they deserve a place to live freely. These are not mutually exclusive. They also deserve better than what Hamas is doing. The Israelis deserve better than the government they have.

In short, I pray for peace. Everyone deserves it.

 

And from the "well, well, well, if it isn't the consequences of my own actions" desk:

 

After Hitler, I do not condemn Israel for going well over the top when it comes to retaliation.

As Americans, we cannot imagine what life is like over there.

I’m also not going to assume both sides are 100% right or wrong in all of this.

 

Dude, I’ll take your word for it.

 

Do we really think the U.S. has cared for Ukraine for the past three decades for any reason other than to poke Russia?