I always get annoyed when I hear American blowhards speak violently either way in the Israel-Palestine conflict. Yet here I am about to mention it.

For me, a more informative discussion than that of the American Pro-Israel and Pro-Palestine groups are the Israelis or Palestinians themselves. Haim Watzman provides an interesting discussion:

One only has to open a page of Talmud or a Jewish legal treatise to see how sages and rabbis have always balanced belief and precept against the practicalities of specific times, places, and concepts. Judaism is a legal religion, and the Jewish legal literature is in large part case law—rabbis addressing specific cases and problems rather than conducting rarefied philosophical discussions.

That’s why I can believe that God gave the land of Israel to the Jewish people, and at the same time argue that that general principle does not lead inexorably to the conclusion that the current state of Israel must control and settle Jews in all parts of that land. God gave us the land but he also gave us minds and powers of judgment.

Judging from the comments by readers, I am still sadly skeptical that a peaceful solution will come anytime soon.