Gaza

Until now, I haven't said anything about Gaza. I really don't know what's to be done there. The Hamas attack on Israel was horrific. The ongoing Israeli response is horrific and tragic.

As an American, I think it would be hypocritical to criticize Israel. On September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda's attack killed at least 3000 Americans. I can't even calculate the hundreds of thousands of deaths that America's response caused. I don't think a lot of those deaths could be justified, but they can't be undone.

I believe one thing, though. All this death and destruction is exactly what Hamas wants. When they attacked, they knew Israel would feel compelled to strike back hard. They wanted a disproportionate body count. They wanted tens of thousands of Palestinians to die. They have never cared about the Palestinian people. They only care about weakening and destroying Israel, and the media coverage of all that carnage is causing an international backlash in public opinion against Israel.

I would love to see the killing stop, but I don't see the path. Even if Israel can be convinced to stop its campaign, Hamas will just do something to incite them to renew it. I don't know how this cycle of hate can be brought to a halt.