The sight of so many people around the world who had always been unequivocal supporters of anything and everything Israel did slowly changing their minds as the horrific scope of the violence inflicted on Gaza continues to escalate has been an impressive one. The remaining people who refuse to change their views at all are impressive in a different way.
But it would behoove everyone who’s participating in the debate even more to make a real attempt to understand the history of the conflict, and more broadly, the region. This includes the war that is now ongoing, as well as everything that has occurred in the region (and the contemporary geopolitics surrounding it) since the country was established in 1948, as well as UN/British ownership of Mandatory Palestine, the Ottoman period, the Mameluke period, all the way back to the Crusades, the Mongol invasion, the Byzantine and Roman empires, and ancient Egypt. Favoring a modern slant is understandable, but it’s crucially important to not consider the situation in a historical vacuum. There is subtlety in context, and that part of the world has a whole lot of context.
That’s not to say that the Israeli government is justified for their invasion, bombing, and de-facto implementation of an apartheid state. Nor is it to say that various state and non-state Arab entities are justified for conducting various acts of military action and terrorism over the years. All I mean is that there is a TON of cultural and religious history there, and violent, unilateral action pretty much always makes things worse for all the civilians in the area.
