I had this question in the other place: x.com/jeremy_gans/...

I’m not questioning your broad point, but I do question your language here.

Is killing children (something both sides have done) an ‘aggressive reaction’?

And haven’t both sides ‘openly targeted & killed citizens on a large scale’ recently?

We should call these things what they are, I think.

Of course. That might make them equivalent. Or not. That was my question.

I don’t think those contexts matter at all when comparing murders etc of civilians.

Do you think killing a child is different if done by an occupier instead of an occupied? Surely not.

So:

- murdering and raping a rave and kibbutzes, because there's no way to successfully attack a genuine military target

- murdering a building full of families, because that's the only way to successfully attack a genuine military target.

Which is worse?

(A variant on a 2021 tweet of mine:)

Yes, I think that's distinction - provoked by the victims or by others.

(Israel has used the language of self-defence for its Gaza attacks, I think. I guess Hamas uses the same language for its attacks on the rave/kibbiutzes?

Unprovoked by who, though? Israeli government is one thing, the various murder and rape victims, not so much, surely?

That is such a great idea...