LH, I almost never disagree with you about anything, but I'm going to disagree with you on one point, and it is this one...

these kind of debates...which become endless, and don't seem to result in anyone having a change of heart, but rather hardening their position.

I don't believe that this discussion is futile. I believe that people are learning things, and making adjustments to their thought processes when new information makes it necessary for them to do so. Some people are holding fast to their original positions, but I think that some people are not. Here in the US, we tend to know so little about what goes on in the middle east. These discussions are an opportunity for us to learn more.