All wars are brutal, ugly and inhumane. And it seems to me that that ugliness has impacted DU.

[cab67]

59. There's been way too much ill will.

I wrote a post (which I've since removed) arguing that a nuanced view of this situation doesn't necessarily reflect antisemitism.

I happen to support Israel in this case - the attack by Hamas was unprovoked - but I think some of the actions taken by Israel are unwise. In particular, I think it's not good strategy to cut off power to Gaza. Actions that target civilians rarely have the intended effect.

I posted my comment because I've been accused of being antisemitic or anti-Israeli for having criticized some of Israel's policies. For example, I think the expansion of West Bank Jewish settlements is acting against the cause of peace - it's provocative. I oppose it not mostly because I want to see peace in the region, and the settlements act against that cause. It's an expression of Realpolitik, not bigotry. I take exception to such accusations.

But I was basically accused of pearl-clutching, 'gentile-splaining,' and being anti-Israeli. None of which was the case. I wasn't making myself into some sort of victim - I was merely reacting to past accusations (not all of which were on DU) I found offensive. Some of the responses came very close to accusing me of being antisemitic. I got tired of being consistently misunderstood, so I self-deleted it.

Simultaneously, I'm also seeing a lot of us laying the blame entirely on Israel. This, too, is unfair. Hamas' tactics are intended to sacrifice as many Palestinian civilians as possible, and their attacks are deliberately directed toward non-military targets. Hamas is not the good guy here. Whether we agree with specific aspects of Israel's reaction, reaction as a whole is clearly justified, and Hamas must be taken down.

What's going down in Gaza and Israel is bad. A lot of innocent people are being killed. Hamas is acting horrifically by attacking civilian targets and using human shields in their own defense. Meanwhile, I think some of Israel's retaliatory acts may increase support for Hamas among Palestinian civilians. Nothing going on over there can be described as "civil." But it doesn't follow that we should be going after each other.

We all agree on one point - there must be peace in the region. I have no idea how that will be achieved. I suspect most of us feel that way (though I could be wrong.)