Israel is no bully but it still must change its ways

Oh Israel, why must you do it? Why must you make such an almighty balagan of these things? Hamas is out to provoke you and you are evidently in the market for provocation. Would it kill you to step back and find a way of resolving a crisis that doesn’t involve dead Palestinians and international censure? You could have dispersed the crowds without opening fire on them. You could have used non-lethal rounds. ‘T’nu L’Tzahal L’Natzeach’ is fair enough when you’re bombing Hamas installations but these were unarmed protestors.

If you haven’t spent the past few days with these thoughts rattling around your head, you are a stauncher Zionist than I am. And I once had to explain to a university professor why I kept referring to Jordan as ‘Eastern Eretz Yisrael’ in an essay. Israel can sometimes test your patience and your stomach. These are immediate reactions – raw and without nuance or context – but they are honest and the expression of them should not be seen as a betrayal.