Terrorists from Gaza recently crossed the border into Israel and killed people. Israel retaliated by bombing targets in Gaza. Now some people have accused Israel of aggression. It is not aggression for a nation to defend its people. The present government of Israel can be criticized for sometimes wasting its resources to cater to a growing minority of citizens who think that aquisition of land has some religious purpose. But when Israel is attacked it needs to fight back with whatever means will do the job and not just balanced. We Jews in the Diaspora as well as in Israel disagree about many issues, but when we are attacked anywhere, we are united in supporting each other as we should be.
Certainly Israel has to maintain a strong military considering the challenges facing it. however being strong is not just military. It has to be inclusive in defining who is a Hebrew. Immigration of people who are willing to take on the Hebrew language and culture make Israel stronger and help to turn the demography in Israel's favor. The senstivities of the Israeli Arabs who make up 20% of the population should be considered as much as possible and not just tolerated.
On the Arab side, Israel should be regarded as an asset, not a liability. The present difficulties in Israel/Palestine were created by the surrounding Arab states and to some extent by Europe more than by the Israelis and the Palestinians. If the moderate Israelis and Palestinians could unite and supercede the extremists on both sides as 2 nations or one, they could truly be the premier nation in the region despite their small size. Maybe that is too much to hope for.
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