"Do you think it's ok for Israel to respond to the rocket attacks if it risks even the slightest possibility that an innocent civilian might be killed? If so you're justifying the slaughter of innocent civilians in the same way."

Unless one is an absolute pacifist, one must accept the unfortunate reality that civilian casualties are an inevitable by-product of legitimate military actions. To some here, any Israeli action against any Palestinians, under any circumstances, is inherently illegitimate. I disagree with that view. I think Israel has the right to respond to attacks on it (as does every other nation). When it responds, it has a moral obligation to avoid and minimize civilian casualties as best it can. There have been times when Israel has execrably, indefensibly ignored that obligation. In those instances, it cannot claim moral superiority to its enemies.

Regardless of what some may think, I am not an apologist for Israel at all. I just get annoyed by apologists for Palestinian terrorism.

In my opinion, anyone who believes there is any moral high ground to be claimed in this ghastly conflict is irrationally romanticizing one side or the other. That's not my bag.

Thanks for answering. As an American whose first contact with Judaism was hearing about WW2 as a kid it's hard for me to put myself in your place. The first felings I had about Jews arose from having a friend in 5th grade tell us shocking stories about what had been done to his grandmother by the Nazis. Like most Americans I grew up with protective feelings toward Jews and Israel.

Much time has passed though, and through the years since then it's been a rough road hearing about things that have happened to Palestinians, including absolutely nightmarish ones about living conditions in the occupied territories. By now I think many Americans like me feel that Israel is being as unfair to Palestinians as the Germans were to the Jews. I guess we're equal opportunity empathizers.

It must be terrible to be living in the midst of that horrible conflict, and I don't diminish at all the personal feelings it must generate for you. My feelings by now go out toward both sides. As an American and a lifelong backer of underdogs, it's hard not to be more sensitive at this point to the far less powerful side of the conflict.

I think many Americans now wonder how bad it must have been over the years to be reduced to doing the things the Palestinians do to get back at Israel. I don't believe some races are just naturally more evil than others, so it makes me wonder what it takes to get to the point where you'd have so many of your young people willing to blow themselves to smithereens just to get back at the wrongs they feel have been done to them. Looks more like despair than evil from here. I'm sure it doesn't from where you sit, but then again I don't know how you feel. Maybe you can see where I am coming from.

There's a story in today's NY Times about the 24 Palestinians killed over the last 2 days, many innocent civilians, in response to one Israeli killed. It's been that way a long time now. That doesn't sound like a level field at all from here. Regardles of how much Israel claims it's not actually trying to target civilians, somehow their weapons are kiiling quite a few, including not a small number of children.

I care about both sides, but I think many Americans are going through the same kinds of changes I have. I'm afraid if this continues it's going to become necessary for Israel to get used to less unconditional support from Americans.

"By now I think many Americans like me feel that Israel is being as unfair to Palestinians as the Germans were to the Jews." now i can ignore you.

Armagednoutahere: "By now I think many Americans like me feel that Israel is being as unfair to Palestinians as the Germans were to the Jews."

And you accused me of taking a cheap shot? With that remark, you have crossed a pretty significant line. There are three possible explanations: (1) you are completely uneducated, and wholly ignorant of modern European and Middle Eastern history; (2) you lack the most basic reasoning skills; or (3) you think that making obviously absurd, outrageous Nazi comparisons is a super-clever way to score points when discussing Israel with Jews. I'm leaning toward (3), so go to hell, asshole.

By your own definition of justified response all the Palestinians would need to do to earn justification from you would be to claim they were trying to hit a military target. Obviously they would know, just as Israel knows, that innocent civilians are definitely going to die. The situation would go on unchanged and all that would have happened would be that the Palestinians would have become better propagandists.

I think at this point the only important questions are how to proceed from here to improve things. Asking people if certain types of actions are justified at this point seems pointless. I guess I should ask first why you ask the question you do? What would it mean to you if Glenn said that Palestinian actions were unjustified?

Wow, I apologize. I plead ignorance, definitely. I had no idea that would strike you that way. Seriously, I'm sorry.

I was trying to convey to An Israeli what I think is becoming a more common American response, that I do hear more and more often from admittedly ignorant of history average Americans. But from the perspective of average people in America, who really don't know any more about this than that the Jews suffered horribly from the Nazis, (and really this is the vast majority of Americans,) this is being said more often. As this story comes over the news each day, and through the years now here, many of the people I run into in just plain old ordinary day to day life, say things like this. It is a reality.

I apologize if it offended you. I didn't intend that at all.