Whenever tensions escalate between Israel and Palestine, there are a lot of things that we tend to hear. In political doublespeak, we immediately retreat to this being a complex issue with a lot of nuance and one must tread carefully before expressing a proper opinion. And I'll probably caveat anything I say or write about this topic, even as someone who had to do regular research on this and other world issues during my high school debate years to start. But it is, in fact, a very complicated issue, and it is rather unsettling how some people are quick to "side" with Israel or Palestine for one reason or another.
All sides (which feels more accurate than saying both sides) are guilty of attacks whose casualties include a significant number of civilian lives, and that should always be condemned. I don't think there should be any confusion here nor should certain deaths be considered as "justified" because you can never really justify that. And I'll always go back to this fundamental truth more than anything else - the killing has to stop.
Israel has taken a lot away from what was Palestine many years ago and it remains one of the earliest and perhaps least-ideal actions by the UN to meddle in these affairs. Now we break things down to the level of the West Bank or the Gaza Strip as Palestine as a nation struggles for recognition. On an abstract level, one would think that both countries deserve to exist, but figuring out how to make that true is one of the many complexities of this long-running conflict.
Hamas is guilty of many acts of violence that could be considered terrorism. Israel is guilty of disproportionate military responses to Hamas actions that are starting to approach the levels of genocide, it seems. But these are much stronger phrases that probably won't be brought up in more formal politically-aligned discussions of this subject. I mean seriously, whether or not other nations should recognize the state of Palestine remains a point of contention until today.
I doubt we're going to see an end to this conflict any time soon. Heck, we'll be lucky if any of us live to see a proper resolution to all this within our lifetimes. But one can continue to hope for the best and continue to do our best to make informed opinions on the matter by reading more - which is something that not everyone is invested enough to do on a regular basis.
We'll see how things continue to evolve and "progress" for now.
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