israeli-palestine conflict

It’s amazing how perfectly this conflict encapsulates the spiritual deficit of modernity, how every action may only be taken if it is in compliance with the ‘opinion of the world’, and how both sides only exist still because the mustered the support of actual kinetic powers by making those powers feel sorry for them or ethically appeased by helping... See more

I’m not apologizing for my correct assertion that parroting the propaganda of a literal terrorist organization dedicated, in its own charter, to the eradication of Jews is antisemitic. But I would like to parse these claims as thoughtfully as I can, because the situation is… Show more

Either side can easily be portrayed as the underdog, because victimhood is limited only by imagination. So we must consider the question not in terms of who is most oppressed, but who is most reasonable? Who is most willing to compromise, and whose goals will, overall, benefit Israelis and Palestinians most?

Overall, Israel, like all countries, has committed some crimes and many mistakes. But it has offered more opportunities to the Palestinians than the Palestinian leaders have. And it has proven less tyrannical than any of its Arab neighbors would be if they’d had the same military might and were subjected to the same 75 years of constant existential... See more

The doctrine of deterrence has taken a beating. Few doubt that Israel can strike back at Gaza in a very powerful way, and yet that wasn’t enough to stop the attacks. I am still trying to digest this one.