I had never even dreamed of having an organization like this one in my lifetime.

I support J-street and its leaders in every possible way.

No evidence for what? That Palestinians keep losing their land as Israelis keep on expanding their settlements? That Palestinian civilians keep dying in higher numbers?

I would still like to hear whether you think there might be a need for a solution and what that solution might look like.

And also why the goals of J-Street, as stated in the article, constitutes Hamas-inspired theology.

Robotboy do you care to provide proof that 1/4 of the Jewish population of Jerusalem was massacred during the war of 1948. I can't find any. All of the massacres listed on Wiki during that war were massacres of Arabs. Also please explain to me why something that happened in 1948 justifies the actions of the Worlds 5th most powerful army against a civilian population today??????? Adult logic please....

List of massacres from 1948 war

Acre May 18, 1948 Haganah 100 Arabs killed

Al-Tantura May 22-23, 1948 Alexandroni Brigade of IDF 70 - 200 Arabs killed

Lydda-Ramleh 11-12 July 1948 IDF 250 - 335 Arabs killed

Suqrir 29 August 1948 Givati Brigade of the IDF 10 Arabs killed

al-Dawayima October 29, 1948 IDF 80 - 100 Arabs killed

Safsaf October 29, 1948 IDF 50 - 70 Arabs killed

Saliha October 30, 1948 IDF 70 - 80 Arabs killed

Eilabun October 30, 1948 Golani Brigade of the IDF 13 Arabs killed

Majd al-Krum October 30, 1948 IDF 12 Arabs killed

Hula October 1948 Carmeli Brigade of the IDF 35 - 58 Arabs killed

Arab al-Mawasi November 2, 1948 IDF 14 Arabs killed

Circumstances do matter, and deaths of Palestinian civilians are often the fault of Hamas, even if Hamas didn't directly pull the trigger. When Hamas fires rockets into Israel, and Israel responds, and Palestinian civilians get hit in the crossfire, Hamas is anything but blameless.

Think of it this way: if someone in your neighbor's house keeps shooting at you, and you end up shooting back (taking due care to target the shooter specifically), and accidentally end up hitting a child in that house, some of the blame clearly lies with the shooter who was hiding behind children.

To an extent, it's a win/win for Hamas: if Israel does nothing, Hamas gets to barrage Sderot with rockets and claim that it's fighting against the oppressor - if Israel fires back and tries to go after the rocketeers, Hamas gets to blame Israel for the (inevitable) civilian casualties.

cestmoi123 - Another way to look at it is that when Israel fires on Palastinians Hamas responds with rockets. With the constant back and forth there is no way to say who starts it. The facts are that Israel far outpowers Hamas and should exercise restraint especially with regard to civilians. It doesn't. I just watched a news report the other day where an Israeli battletank fired a shell at a reporter. He died right there on the road. There was no apparent reason for the killing. Just as there was no apparent reason for the killing of that American girl Rachel Corrie. It has to stop and I salute the J Street project for having the moral courage to change the game.

what constitutes 'right'; 'far right'; 'progressive';'liberal';etc... ad nauseum?

presuming honesty and thoughtfulness by the author, PLEASE take it issue by issue. Your article intimates my own experience that when addressed issue by issue, individuals reveal a mix of attitudes from what some might label far right to far left. Different vantage points cause us all to see things at least minimally differently, and sometimes vastly so. LABELS destroy discussion, as is observed in the article, to the detriment of all, especially Israel.

I agree, it has to stop, and firing on that cameraman certainly appears to have been unjustified.

How about this, then:

Israel says, starting today, we won't enter Gaza if no rockets are fired at Israel.

Do you think Hamas would hold up their end of that bargain and say fine, we'll stop firing rockets into Israel? I doubt it, but I'd be willing to be pleasantly surprised.

I am sympathetic to your quest on this thread. I find myself [shudder] agreeing with you here (I often don't). Can I just say that part of the reason for my first positive post is that what Israel and its right-wing supporters have got going on now isn't working? Much of the world has lost sympathy for Israel. The right-wing Christian nutbars who support it for the sake of Armageddon aren't helping. Under no circumstances do I want these people on my side. So let's say I agree with you--most of the Arab world (or its leaders, anyway) don't want a "two state solution," they want Israel and as many Jews as possible obliterated. But one reason that message is being lost is that the wrongs that are going on there are disproportionately affecting civilians, not leaders. And two, the insanity on the right is too loud. Your message is escaping people's notice right now.

Also, I don't think it's fair to say that Israel doesn't exercise restraint with regards to civilians - maybe it should exercise more, but it certainly exercises restraint. If it wanted to, Israel could flatten pretty much every structure in Gaza.

There is a real difference here. Think of the impact on civilians as being a function of X=military capability and Y=percentage of that capability being used.

Hamas has a very low X (the rockets are more a nuisance/provocation than any real existential threat to Israel), but their Y is at maximum (if they could fire bigger/longer range/more destructive rockets, I don't think anyone doubts they would).

Israel has a much higher X (in theory, it could nuke Gaza, after all), but is clearly running Y at a very low level (look at what it's done in Gaza vs. what it was easily able to do in Lebanon, which was still a lot less than the IAF could have done).

Cestmoi, you need to look into your heart and see that there is no moral justification for what Israel does. Seizing land, bulldozing homes, collective punishment. These are illegal and immoral acts and nothing justifies it. The lobsided nature of the casualties speak for themselves. I will never defend acts of terrorism. I consider it wrong whether the victim is a Palastinian or Israeli civilian. I am shocked that so many people are able to twist themselves into incredible contortions of logic in order to justify unspeakable acts of brutality. We are all children of one God and no life is more important than another. Sometimes the greatest courage is the courage to admit that maybe your own side isn't always right.