If Israel is committing war crimes so has everyone and maybe war just is war crimes; you do shoot at the enemy, after all. — BitconnectCarlos

Actually not.

I've started from the reasonable (or at least in my opinion a reasonable) stance that Israel should show restraint against civilians and civilian targets like the US did while it was fighting against Al Qaeda and ISIS.

It hasn't. Proof: you didn't hear about civilians starving to death in Iraq or accusations of it used as a tool by the US while fighting the insurgents. Besides, the US was assisting the civilian populace at the same time it was fighting Al Qaeda and later ISIS.

Not something the IDF is doing... especially when it doesn't allow the normal flow food and supplies to the area it has all the ability to check.

But if it's too much for you that the IDF isn't "the most moral army" in the World as Bibi has said, then just defend them, if it makes you feel better.

OK, if "The whole situation is one of the many dark sides of colonialism" is not the issue of "who settled where in pre-history" but an "issue of self-determination", how is the reference to colonialism help us understand better a predicament where two people (or relative political leaderships, if you prefer) ultimately pursue self-determination aspirations over exactly the same piece of land? — neomac

It doesn't and we can't. At the time, I was responding to a particular post, not solving the middle east mess. It shouldn't have been created; the major powers should have had more foresight, but pursued their short-term advantage instead. Once committed, they've been obliged to keep feeding the fire, and nobody seems inclined to stop. It won't end until one or all of the combatants die.

But that's all incidental to the topic of the thread.