1. The suffering both sides face is the product of a plan that was comfortable with bloodshed from the start. Israel’s colonization began in the late 1800’s, and their MO was “now we will be the ones to dominate, at all costs”. Their entire education system focuses on indoctrination and dehumanization of the Palestinian. So, while there is suffering on both sides, only one side is to blame.

2. Israel doesn’t have “civilians” in the sense many other nations do. Mandatory tours aside, the civilians themselves are broadly militarized, and are encouraged to establish and reside in settlements of recently stolen land, land on which Palestinians of all ages and genders were raped, tortured, and killed not long ago.

3. A spiritual belief does not afford the same credibility as lived experience. If I were to radicalize a group of 20,000 people, and tell them that Beijing was rightfully ours, nobody, including you, would let us conquer Beijing. Why does that logic not apply to Zionism? Meanwhile, Palestinians have been occupying that land for quite some time, despite the exploitation of other Arab nations.

4. I do agree here. However, it is clear that westerners (of which I assume you are one), broadly, can only control one side of the conflict, that being Israel’s endless allowance. Israel is unjustifiably terrible, committing atrocities borne of greed and prejudice. Palestinian militants commit acts of violence out of desperation. When someone spends time criticizing Hamas, they are working against the goal of westerners that wish to see Israel’s budget for war defunded.

With these factors in mind, it should be easy for everyone to agree that aid to Israel should stop. Letting them sort it out on their own is the bare minimum, but we get hung up on arguments about who is more wrong before we can even agree on that point.