Edit: I thought about making this a “p.s.” but I wanted to make sure you saw it first and foremost. I just want to say massive respect for your honesty and introspection here. If I could have one wish, it would be that more people were capable of it.

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I actually wrote an article about this. Yes, that's exactly right, violence can be understandable without being justifiable. That's how I would describe Palestinian violence over the years. In fact, obviously excluding October 7th and the various other attacks on civilians, I think Palestinian violence is justifiable.

I think every one of the people melting down in my comments would react in exactly the same way if someone decided to take over more than 50% of their country to build a nation and I would support their struggle too.

But yes, I don't think it's a coincidence that many of the most fervent, aggressive defences of Israel's actions come from the US, that has even greater original sins to deal with than Israel. Those are insulated, I guess, by time, but one of the key sources of strife in America is the unwillingness to acknowledge the reality of its past (and present) and address it. Healing is impossible without recognition of the truth.

I don't think your citizenship makes you complicit. Nor do I think Israeli citizenship makes Israelis complicit. But their governments clearly are. And the citizens ignore this because their government's absolutely unjustifiable actions are convenient for them. They know this, and the guilt it causes morphs into outrage and anti-Arab racism. Again, healing is impossible without recognition of the truth.

The reason people are freaking out so much is that this article isn't my opinion, it's not me attacking anybody or anything, it's the words of their own leaders, who, at least, had the integrity to be honest about what they were doing. That honesty is a mirror, and they don't like what it shows.