To anyone who will listen: I would think that after this morning's events in Gaza - the breaking of the humanitarian cease fire by Hamas an hour after it started and the kidnapping of an IDF soldier - at least some can start to appreciate the fundamental lesson to be learned here: the great (humanitarian) need to be extremely intolerant of anyone or any people who commit acts of aggression not in clear self defense - i.e. who start wars by forcing peaceful nations to defend their citizens.
Generally, most Western nations understand this concept instinctively - we are ever ready to demand that our leaders draw that bright red line when it comes to our own need for safety. The US and the UK have invaded two large countries thousands of miles from our borders simply because there are people there who intend to do us harm and who have succeeded in indirectly perpetrating mostly small scale terrorist attacks (and a very few major ones) against our citizens. For that we have killed hundred of thousands of their civilians in our attacks against their terrorists and infrastructure.
Yet, when it comes to Israel we expect them to tolerate thousands of direct attacks over many years - and to just suck it up. The lesson we must learn from this: It is very very dangerous to ever allow acts of aggression against civilians to go unanswered. Such despicable acts need a swift and overwhelming response by the world community - whenever and wherever they occur. Those who would attack civilians are cowards and moral criminals of the worst kind. They need to know that they will die if they attack innocent people. There should be no doubt in their mind.
Now, we will see the results of our myopic - some would justifiably say antisemitic policy - towards terror attacks against Israel that has been the accepted international norm since 1947-48. Thousands more civilians are now about to die and suffer terrible injuries as those idiotic policies over decades now of "tolerance for terrorists as long as they are attacking Jews" - come home to roost. Those on the left who have been apologizing for and justifying those Arab attacks against Israel probably will not accept responsibility for this - and will continue to insist that "the Jews are over-reacting" or "it's the occupation" - ignoring what should be obvious to anyone with a brain by now: the occupation is the result of the attacks.
Israel "occupies" because it's the least lethal way they can defend themselves. The difference in civilian casualties between Gaza and the WB should make that crystal clear. But, deny as you will, most of the blood of the dead Palestinian women, children, and yes babies, that will now begin flowing in very much larger rivers - is absolutely on your hands - and mine as well to some extent for not making my voice heard louder and earlier on this basic question of civilizational importance.
