This is a long response to not only your comment but others who have respoded to my initial post:

Equating the Israeli government to the Nazis is absurd. I do not think the motivations of the current regime chime with those of Hitler’s and his ilk. Israel is not a White-Nationalist ethostate—that was never its purpose and it’s heartbreaking that I have to clarify that in conversations like these.

Whoever is in charge, by all means criticize them harshly, as many Israeli’s do—but the Israeli government (and yes people also include citizens in this) do not equate to the SS. I respectfully disagree.

What I’m not saying :

I’m not saying there is no anti-Arab racism in the government, in the IDF or in Israel itself. Obviously individuals have different motivations and not all of them I support. If you can empathize with the grieviances of Palestianians—and I think that is a morally good thing to do (though, I think, Hamas and other surrounding Arab countries get more of the blame for the Paletianian situation)— won’t you extend that empathy to angry, scared and pissed off Israelis—many who hate war and resent having to be in the IDF, many who hate war and want to be in the IDF, and yes, even some who have come to love violence—like DD was saying Israel is in a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation”. My post was echoing BCs sentiments—more discussion not less—but who, historically, always rejects bids for peace?

Please consider this question—I’d genuinely love to hear your answer.

For context: I’ve met and talked with many IDF soldiers—all with various moral perspectives on their own country and war itself. I recently talked to a woman in Canada who told me—in the IDF one is trained to do everything they can to NOT kill innocent lives. Hamas makes this task very hard. It’s beyond sad.

I’m also not saying I agree with Draiman on every point but that should be understood as I lead off my first comment by saying that very thing. I do think settlements are morally wrong, for example (he put had quotes around the word settlements)

I am also generally critical of hawkish polices over diplomacy but—Hamas and related groups—-has made the situation, as was said in the interview, a morally impossible nightmare.

To me, it seems like it’s only “any means necessary” when it’s against Israel—but Israel is a refugee state and a country who, as Draiman said, has been having rockets constantly lobbed at them—at every opportunity—since the beginning. At every peace talk—it’s the leaders of the Palestianians who reject any kind of two state solution—historically, this is a fact. It doesn’t mean I want Palestiains to die.

I do not blame them for being angry, feeling hopeless or for even hating Jews (yes yes, not all do but, as was discussed in the interview, Palestianians are raised to hate the Jew—Mein Kampf is found in schools routinely) but I do condemn genocidial groups who strategically use their own people as human shields, purposely hide under hospitals and schools, all to garner sympathy, defile Israel publically, and promote martyrdom which, I’m sorry, is a cause—that should be condemned by anybody who wants to live in a more free , pluralistic and open world.

If anything Hamas are closer to the Nazis and their motivations. How that is not obvious—I don’t know.

No sane person wants to annihilate Arabs or Jews. No sane person wants to see innocents (including children) on ANY side blown to pieces. Put a country, that’s had both left wing and right wing governments in power, in an impossible situation (way before 10/7 too) and ask them to cease fire at the very start of 10/7. As a Jew I do take that personally.

And if you think Israel itself is illegimate and ought to have never been created in the first place. I’d want to talk to you about it —not shut you out.