I am not accusing Israel of genocide or ethnic cleansing. But I do believe what Israel is doing is close to it in effect. As you say, Israel is not the same as its government. I do not blame Israelis. Just as I wouldn't want anyone to blame me for the 2nd Iraq war. And I certainly don't blame Jewish people!

How complicit are certain factions in Israel in creating Hamas and this situation? That's the question we can't answer. You have faith that isn't the case. I used to have that faith, but have it no longer. I believe Hamas is a natural creation of a walled in city. I believe Jews would have done the same. Anyone would have done the same under such suppression.

Perhaps Rabin could have changed the whole trajectory.

Does it matter if it's 90,000 or 522 if those deaths serve no purpose but to keep Netanyahu and his cronies in power? To feed into far-right agendas? In this too, we can argue but no conclusion reached. We can only wait and see. I apologize if I have been offensive because I know this situation hurts you more than I, since the IDF must mean something to you.

For the record, I've never believed in a 2-state solution. I'd like to see one state with everyone an equal citizen. Israel was a beacon to me, for the region. I'd like to see it fulfil its promise for everyone. In no way do I want to throw the baby out with the bathwater here.

If everyone plays nicely right to return should be no problem. I see no Holocaust happening elsewhere. Israel is not needed like that in the foreseeable future. Ironically, it may be other countries who need to take in persecuted Jews from Israel in the future.

Finally again, I blame Iran way more than Israel here. And the U.S. has tremendous amounts of blood on its hands. It has used Israel for a long time. Well, I shouldn't go into yet another tangent ;)