It's obvious that we are experiencing a difference in perception as to who is getting the short end of the stick, Peace and Teribus and bobad. That is the only reason we disagree about Israel. I think the Muslims are getting the short end of the stick. Therefore I defend them. You think Israel is getting the short end of the stick. Therefore you defend Israel.

End of story.

It is simply not possible to resolve such a difference in perception. My viewpoint will always seem unfair to you guys, and your viewpoint will always seem unfair to me. It's like trying to resolve a debate in 1876 between people who see Indians as victims of the army and people who see Indians as murdering savages who must be brought to heel by the army. Those arguments were likewise impossible to resolve...and there WERE such arguments at the time. They were very hotly debated in the Eastern press. It was all a matter of perception as to who were the "bad guys" in what was a collision between 2 ways of life. Wrongs happened on both sides.

And that's just the way it is. We perceive different subjective worlds through our deeply subjective beliefs about "who the victims are" and "who the perpetrators are" in the Middle Eastern situation.

And we always will, in all probability. Expect to disagree from here until eternity, guys.

Bobad, remember...one who is paranoid sees enemies everywhere. Correct? But he can always counter that by saying, "Ah, yes! But even paranoids can have REAL enemies!!!"

No doubt they can. But I am not one of them. Your objection to my criticism of Israel reminds me of Black people who raise a ruckus and want someone fired because he used the word "niggardly" (although the word niggardly has absolutely nothing to do with what they think it does...it does not refer to black people in any way whatsoever). "Racism!" they cry. "Anti-semitism!", someone else cries...when Israel is criticized for doing what ANY other country on Earth(except the USA?) would be criticized for doing.

Same deal. It's a kneejerk reaction by someone who has a great big chip on his shoulder...due to past emotional trauma which arose out of past historical events.

I'm afraid that the Muslims have gotten very much like that too in the last few decades...and for quite similar reasons. Like the Jews were in the past many centuries up to the end of WWII, the Muslims since WWII have been stigmatized, robbed, beaten, and kicked around the block for quite some time now...simply for being who they are.

So they're similarly unreasonable about it now, and they are similarly inclined to take violent offence. It makes for a bloody dangerous situation when you have 2 groups of people like that fighting each other. Almost hopeless, I'd say.

I belong to neither group. I consider neither group to be above criticism, just because they...or their grandparents...have suffered.