Israel Palestine Word Scramble

How both sides of the conflict continue to promote endless war

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People across the political spectrum too often promote ideas and use words that encourage more war and destruction. It’s not helpful, nor does it protect the people they claim to be protecting.

Both camps use words that make peace harder.

One side turns all forms of civilian devastation into “self-defense,” while the other turns Jewish peoplehood into “colonialism.” Both word games erase real human beings.

Some supporters of Israel, for example, too often defend nearly every action Israel takes as self-defense. “We have to protect ourselves.” If that means leveling entire cities. Destroying entire villages. Bombing an apartment building. Ruining the lives of families. Killing children. So be it.

It’s all in the name of fighting back against the evils of terror groups like Hamas or Hezbollah. And yes, those groups are evil.

“What would you do to stop Hamas?” is a common rhetorical question they ask. Or they say, “Nobody complained when the U.S. leveled areas in Germany,” as if Israel’s mass destruction has worked, solved everything, or become morally excusable because other countries caused civilian death in other wars.

While Netanyahu defenders vehemently fight back against charges of genocide or war crimes, one need only look at the before and after aerial pictures of Gaza to know that what were once thriving cities and neighborhoods are now almost complete and utter rubble.

UNOSAT satellite analysis found enormous structural damage in Gaza City. By September 2025 alone, 83% of structures in Gaza City were destroyed or badly damaged.

There’s almost nothing left. And nowhere to go. All while people in U.S. suburbs debate what qualifies as genocide. Let’s not get stuck on words. It’s devastation regardless of arguments about Israel not intentionally seeking to kill all Palestinians.

When you drive 150 mph and end up wrecking your car, you can’t exactly claim the accident was completely intentional. We know an accident is a natural consequence of choosing to drive that fast.

The other problem with the idea of so-called self-defense by any means necessary beyond the human toll is that it hasn’t made Israel safer, and instead it has placed Israel among the many nations which seem to care less about people. And it’s made life for Jews, even if not justified, hard everywhere.

Certainly, Israel has real security concerns. Real threats. Contrary to many views on the left, not every attack on Hezbollah and Hamas is a war crime. Israel has a right to prevent and defend against very real attacks.

Complaining no matter what Israel does feels a lot like saying Jews don’t have a right to defend themselves.

But what Israel doesn’t have a right to do is use the the self defense excuse to bomb-every-time-a-terrorist-walks-into a-crowded-building and chalk every dead child and family up to collateral damage. As if kids are just a nearby parking lot.

That approach to humans is an excuse for endless war.

If that was the end of the discussion, we could easily just place the blame all on Israel. But Israel’s detractors and the far left also promote endless war and destruction.

In the West (notably not in Arab countries), Jews in Israel are now referred to as colonial settlers. Like England was a colonial power in Ghana. Or the French in Cameroon. Forget that nobody can seem to name the colonizing mass Empire the Jews came from. Jews in their ancestral homeland Israel isn’t the same as England in Ghana.

But once you label someone as colonial, the natural consequence of that idea is those colonizers need to go. That the Jews have no right to be there. That ultimately, Israel cannot be a nation. It must be dismantled.

Nobody could ever argue that England had a right to stay in Ghana. And in fact, when Ghana gained its independence, England left. Completely.

So, when people use words calling Jews (50% of which are not even white-skinned) colonialists, what you’re actually saying is you want Jews out.

The problem with that approach is Jews aren’t going away any more than Palestinians are, so the only way to force millions of Jews out of Israel would be through mass violence, ethnic cleansing, or worse. That’s actually a call for more conflict, just with a different winner. Because it was never going to be ok for England to stay in Ghana.

On top of that, Israel’s critics are eerily silent on Hamas’s and Hezbollah’s evilness. Israeli women get raped. Now the left says “don’t believe the women.” Babies get kidnapped then murdered, and people on the far left say “it’s the natural consequence of oppression.”

Weird, I never saw Black folks in America start kidnapping white babies or beheading people because of oppression. Oppression may explain rage. It doesn’t justify kidnapping children, rape, or murder. Ever.

That type of justification just encourages more of it. It’s shameful.

Together, these two camps create the perfect storm that leaves Palestinians and Jews in the violent spin cycle. Always facing more conflict.

What we should all be doing is using words of love and validation instead.

Of course, it’s more than ok to demand an end to wars. An end to terror. And end to abuse and unfair lopsided rules. There’s nothing wrong with demanding Palestinians be free. Or that Israelis be safe and secure. Free Palestine never offended me.

But if there’s ever going to be any shot at peace in Israel and Palestine, then supporters of each need to start acknowledging the real heartfelt connection Jews have to Israel and Palestinians have to Palestine. To acknowledge the abuse Palestinians face. And the security threats Israel faces. Rather than invalidate each other.

Israel and Jews will once and for all need to acknowledge that Israel’s rebirth was indeed a catastrophe for many Arabs, regardless of how it all went down. And that they deserve their own home free of Israeli interference.

And Palestinians and their supporters need to acknowledge that Jews in Israel are not the same as England in Ghana. That the 3,000+ year old Jewish connection to Israel and Judea is real. Even former Israel hater Libyan president Muammar Ghaddafi acknowledged that.

Once everyone can learn to listen to each other, we can begin to build a lasting peace.

Until then, both sides will continue to promote more war, whether they intend their words and actions to do that or not.