Beyond ending life, murder has little to do with making a compelling argument for anything. It certainly does not lend any moral justification to a dispute. 

In the case of Israel’s occupation of Palestine, the world has long recognized that there are real issues of ongoing mistreatment and abuse of the Palestinians by the Israeli government. 

But lately, if it did not know, the world has also spectacularly discovered the murderous terrorism of Hamas. With the garbled logic of desperate impotence, the criminals of Hamas have shown their witless strategy: if you kick their dog, they will kill your chicken. 

Murdering children and civilians is not a viable leadership strategy with which to address the problematic circumstances of Palestine. In fact, extremist Hamas “tough guys” demonstrate no interest in resolving the issues between Palestinians and Israelis. Their no-compromise stance rules out any progress on real-life conditions for the Palestinians. Any notion of peaceful incremental change is not possible when your goal is to drive the Israelis “into the sea.” No compromise, no diplomacy, no positive change, ever more outrage and festering hate. 

However, there is a certain convenience for both sides in the status quo. Hamas can lead the Palestinians into bleak desperation with the despicable cacophony of their actions and the Israeli government can fail its own people by refusing to seek anything more than biblical vengeance. Both are the bankrupt notions of regimes satisfied with merely being in charge, but offering little hope for any progress in the direction toward peace. 

For those who merely want to run the show, a blistering ongoing conflict can be a somewhat comfortable, albeit deadly, steady-state. No political compromise, no diplomacy, endless murder, and misery. Are there no smart people of good will involved in the leadership of either side? Show me; step up to history, show the world.

John Pace lives in Honesdale, PA.