Situation: Gaza . . . Who's right?

It is no secret that the current conflict in Gaza has anything but current pretext. The longstanding feud between Gazan Palestinians and the Israeli government has cost both sides far too many lives over the past half century. Israel does not claim the land as theirs, but it simultaneously oppresses its citizenry. Hamas (the leadership party of Gaza) provides healthcare, education, and food to its people while it sends numerous Israeli citizens to grave injury and death via indiscriminate rocket and mortar fire.

One Palestinian man I heard interviewed is besides himself in grief: His family is literally afraid to be alive for fear of death. No one goes out during daylight, and absolutely no one goes out at night. At the same time, their apartment is not safe, because everywhere is a target. Hamas sympathizers (read: targets) could live next door. And, rockets are not that precise.

On the other hand, Israelis near Gaza live in a similar state. Although their fear is not to the same degree as that of their Gazan counterparts, it is the same type of fear nonetheless. And that lower degree of apprehension has been sustained for years, not just a week. At least the IDF "aims" at targets. To Hamas, living in Israel is reason enough to be murdered.

Which brings us to the point of who is right. To simplify the situation into a yes or no question seems nearly sacrilege, so I shall not attempt to offer any answer to the conflict. If I could, high school would be the last place I would be going tomorrow morning. What I can say is what I know not to be the solution, and that is what is going on right now as we speak. Israeli leaders know fully well that their current exercise will only succeed in winning them reelection in a few months (as you can imagine, a Gazan invasion polls particularly well in Israel). It is laughable to suggest that Israel will stop all future rocket and mortar attacks by invading Gaza. At the same time, though, it is laughable to suggest that Hamas will stop Israel from being the bully it is by firing rockets at it.

Just like two fighting brothers, beating each other up is not going to solve the fact that they are still brothers who must live in adjacent rooms. If peace were to ever be attained, violence is no tool to be used. It is time that both Israel and Hamas (and by extension Palestine) grew up.