I’ve been hesitant to weigh in on the Israel-Hamas war, not only because I do not believe social media is the right place for news, nuance, or persuasion, but also because I have been here before, and it did not end well. My freshman year of college, I believed Israel was a malicious and illegitimate occupier and perpetrator of gratuitous crimes against Palestinians. As I became more engaged and heard people I respected disagree, I began to suspect I was missing something and expanded my research; over time, I gradually and painfully changed my mind. After doing a lot of reading, I now believe Israel is legitimate, does deserve to defend itself, and is caught in a particularly complex and difficult situation that is not explainable in 142-character opinions or passionate one-minute video clips on an Instagram story. And I believe the Jews should have one small strip of a homeland on this Earth, where they can be safe, in perpetuity, to simply live life being who they are, being Jew
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Not Being Entirely Miserable