Israel is misunderstood

[JDPriestly]

34. War is collective punishment.

War is always a crime.

So is terrorism.

Generally, in war the best organized best equipped army can win if it is willing to conquer the civilian population of the country in which the war is being fought.

The alternative is to negotiate peace. Usually the losing party in a war has to take the short end in the deal made to end the war.

That's the way it has been since tribes fought in prehistoric times, I suppose.

I don't want either side to use violence to resolve their dispute. Both sides will lose in the end if the a) war and b) terrorism (of which the rockets shot by Palestinians and the tunnels dug by Palestinians are a part.

My point is that all the sympathy in the world will not bring back the lives of those who die in the war, and they will not heal the trauma of all those who suffer from constant attacks or harassment that simulate war.

The parties have to sit down and negotiate.

It is irresponsible to take one side or the other as strongly as many DUers do because it just encourages both sides to feel justified in continuing to fight.

There are two sides, and the dispute needs to be resolved in negotiations.