Unsolvable Gaza

Gaza is an unsolvable puzzle. It simply cannot be figured out. What is one to do?


Israel wants to stop its opponents and refuses to end the slaughter until they submit. Its opponents have the gall to sit amidst the downpouring bombs and white phosphorous terror weapons making outlandish demands. Israel's opponents want their prison walls torn down. Israel's opponents want food, medicine, energy supplies, sure...but more...they have the arrogance to demand the right to interact with the rest of the world. Trade yet...and more...travel. But even that is, at least implicitly, not enough to satisfy them. Let's be honest here. Those 200 dead Gazan children at least deserve that much in return for their sacrifice. The truth is, Israel's opponents want weapons. They want to be able to defend themselves.

Now Israel of course has weapons. Indeed, thank God for Israel - its consumption of American arms is the only bright spot in the U.S. economy at the moment. And don't misunderstand me. Israel's Palestinian opponents have not asked for bunker busters, navy frigates to attack boats carrying medical supplies and former U.S. presidential candidates, F-16s, tanks, or white phosporous to burn the skin off those who give them lip. But Israel's opponents clearly think they do have the right at least to arm their own police and fire off stuff to get noticed in case they should happen to get themselves walled off from the rest of the world again.

So Gaza is a puzzle with no solution. We all agree that this is sad, but there just does not seem to be a bridge long enough to cross the chasm between Israel and its opponents. Oh, well...