themeatbridge , 11 months ago

There’s a difference between expecting to find a reasonable middle ground between unreasonable positions, and understanding that two sides of a dispute are so far apart that there is no middle ground. Israel will not treat Palestinians equally, and Hamas won’t stop until they have wiped Israel off the map.

Regardless of which side you support, there are legitimate concerns about the actions and attocities of each side. Neither side sees the other as human, as deserving of equal consideration. Both claim divine justification in their actions, and both have legitimate existential fears from the opposing side.

To ignore the atrocities committed by one side is to deny the reality of the situation. Bombing civilians is unacceptable. Raping and slaughtering children is unacceptable. Murdering journalists is unacceptable. There’s no “better” or “worse” act of violence. War is hell, and the people who suffer most are not the ones who choose it.

Who started it? Who has escalated it? Neither side has a claim to the moral high ground, and nothing short of eradication will cause either side to stop fighting.

Peace will is only possible if there is forgiveness on both sides. If leaders and civilians alike are willing to accept that there is no justice for war crimes, and there is no balance to violence, then maybe angels will dance on pinheads and monkeys will fly out of my butt.

So, you might as well pick a side and then hope they wipe out their opponents. But you’ll have to kill every single man, woman, and child, because this is a holy war, and there is no victory in half measure, and no room for nuance when God joins the fray. Win or die. Obliterate or sow the seeds of your own destruction.

That’s how Israel feels. That’s how Palestine feels. The enemy is less than human, a disease to be utterly destroyed.

And if you disagree, some 14 year old internet stranger is going to lump you in with centrists who can’t tell the difference between Nazis and everyone else who hates Nazis.