I Feel for Israel. I Also Feel for the Palestinians.

Such mixed feelings. So amaze.

I’m conflicted about the situation unfolding in southern Israel. Hamas has invaded southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, is also launching an offensive in support of Hamas.

Photo by Jordy Meow on Unsplash

Hundreds of Israelis have been killed. Hundreds more kidnapped and taken into Hamas held territories. Thousands have been injured, some severely.

Videos of civilians and military personnel dressed in their underwear, bound and gagged, being led into the Gaza Strip bring the human cost of this attack into sharp focus.

It must be terrifying to be an Israeli right now.

One day, you are celebrating a religious holiday, and the next morning you find your country and way of life under attack from an enemy that hates everything about you and yours.

BUT.

Notice that I have not used the word “unprovoked” to describe Hamas’ ongoing attack on Israel in my above remarks.

Generally, while Israel is a multi-lateral democracy in a region full of autocrats – more later on this – her presence on Palestinian land is, geopolitically, a destabilizing force.