Yes, they were pretty good neighbors in the beginning, up until they started trying to take everyone’s land and set up a state in the middle of another state, or what should have been another state if Britain had kept their promise instead of fucking things up like Europe always does. That would start a war anywhere. Imagine if China carved out the Midwest of the US for the Uyghurs as a way to get rid of them with the excuse that they needed to be protected. It would be fine if a bunch moved there and bought houses, like normal refugees, but it’s a problem when the rest of the world decides Ohio is there’s now, especially when they defend it with right-wing paramilitaries as part of an active settler colonial project. And also especially when it caused the displacement of tens of thousands of people to Canada. Of course the US and Canada would retaliate, especially if they were never consulted on this “deal” in the first place. It wouldn’t matter if the UN said it was legal and all above board because a paper said so. People would be rightfully pissed off. Not because they were Islamaphobic but because their land was being taken, and not for anything they did, but because people in other parts of the world did genocide, now you and your grandparents lose their house.

Hamas was blowback from this process, as much as slave raids on innocent white households, the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, violent resistance by the ANC in South Africa, or Native American raids. They didn’t even appear until 1987, decades after nearly hundreds of thousands had already died or been displaced. No wonder they have something against Israel. Terrorists aren’t great people, news flash, but Israel’s actions cause terrorists. And they prefer that. It gives them carte blanche to keep Palestinians divided and keep taking territory. It’s already been revealed that was Netanyahu’s strategy when they gave suitcases of cash to Hamas through Qatar. And they strategically take territory to prevent a contiguous state. Hamas isn’t great but they are a consequence of Israel’s action. They have all the power here. Look at the graphs of deaths between the two sides.

Israel has never been open to peace. They always kind of make it look like it, but the deals they set always show otherwise. Go by actions, not words. They never acknowledge things like right to return for Palestinians, or they require their military to stay in the area, or they want mineral or oil rights, or air space control, or they don’t acknowledge and deal with the settlements in the West Bank, or something else is in the deal that makes it impossible to take by the Palestinians. Basically they always make sure it’s a deal that Palestine can’t take without pissing off their whole populace. Even allied negotiators have admitted they wouldn’t take the deals Israel has offered before. When Palestinians are at a new point of debasement and desperation, and ready for the old deal, Israel always moves the goalposts again. These “negotiations” offer the opportunity for international legitimacy and cover, but that’s about it. They’ll do things like be negotiating with the PLO and then stop because Hamas randomly did an attack. It’s ridiculous.

Israel doesn’t even like their horrible, one-sided deals, as revealed by Rabin’s assassination for even trying. Bibi’s recent comments about a no two solution is just telling the truth after years of gaslighting the world. The mask is off because they’re doing a genocide so there’s no real reason to hide it anymore. But, as emotional as I sound, I am open to changing my mind, so let me know when there’s been a legitimate peace attempt by Israel and I’ll at least acknowledge that much.