Remember the scene from “Fiddler on the Roof”? I don’t remember the precise context, but Tevye, responding to the opinions of others said to one “you’re right” and to another espousing the exact opposite “you’re right”, forcing a third to say “they can’t both be right”, to which Tevye said “you’re right, too”.

In general, people seem to lack what I would call “subtlety of thinking”. In other words, you can be on one side or another, but it’s very difficult to find that both sides are right, or equally right, because if both sides of an argument have their points, what’s the next step?

Isn’t this the situation that we find ourselves in regarding the Israel-Hamas situation? Everyone must have a side (or remain completely disinterested), and must self-identify with that side. No one can say: we have a big problem here, let’s not take “a side”, let’s figure out how to solve the problem.

We see how taking a side can be existentially dangerous. “If you take “their” side, then it shows that you are rotten to the core. Period.” And you know where that can lead.

And there are, of course, always victims. Here, the people of Gaza. I will make an assumption. A significant percentage of the Gazans hate Hamas, a significant percentage support Hamas, and a significant percentage just wish the whole issue would disappear. I don’t know how to define “significant percentage” in these three categories, and don’t believe anyone else could. And of course, identifying how specific individuals think is impossible, and their thinking might change day to day, or week to week. But I will make another assumption. Virtually all Gazans hate Israel.

One would hope that the American position would be “secure Israel, stop the fighting, support the population of Gaza”. But that is a position that requires one to stop thinking that you have to identify with one side or another. And it doesn’t look like this is going to happen.

So, let’s look at it another way. What are the goals of each side? Does Israel simply want to go back to October 6 and before? Does Israel want to eliminate Arab control of Gaza? Does Israel want a workable two state solution? We do not know what the answer to this question is. Israel (and I speak of the government, not the people) wants to “destroy Hamas”. But what does that even mean? And how is that even possible? There are many in Israel who believe that security of their country is impossible as long as Arabs control Gaza. They are right. And many who think that you can’t secure Israel as long as the occupation continues. They are right. And there are those who say they are both right, and they are right, too.

On the other hand, clearly people in Gaza want political freedom. But what does that mean? Do they want to be governed by Hamas? What today is the alternative? Maybe there isn’t one. Do they even think of the possibility of a joint free state with the West Bank, split in two by the State of Israel?

The Palestinian authorities say that about 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, and that 2/3 are women or children. We don’t know if these figures are correct – and some question the 2/3, but I don’t. Look at it this way – half of the adult population are women, and 50% are 18 or younger, so if you take the 50% younger and half of those older than 18, 2/3 is actually a modest number.

But this is not what I even wanted to talk about today. I wanted to talk about Americans. I have so many questions that I can’t even narrow them down and ask them in a sensible manner. Neither can anyone else, I am afraid.

So what’s a president to do. We don’t want to be complicit in increasing the number of Palestinians killed and wounded. We don’t want to be complicit in keeping food and health care from the Gazan population. But we don’t want Hamas to come out of this war with control over Gaza. What is a president to do?

And what about Jewish Americans? Where does their loyalty stand first? With Israel or with the U.S.? That’s a real question. Think of all the American Jews who cast their American votes based on candidates’ positions on Israel, for example. Are they right? For many, Jews are a fifth column in the United States, influencing American decision making to benefit a foreign country. What if they are right, too?

Israel wants American Jews to identify with Israel. Israel wants to be a “Jewish” state, irrespective of the 20% non-Jews who are citizens of the country. Palestinians (and others) want the area of Mandate Palestine to be a “Muslim” state. Most Muslims have voted Democratic, and most Jews have voted Democratic, but now things are split – a significant portion of the Democratic party is coming out on the side of the Arabs, and a significant (very significant) part of the Republican party is coming out on the side of the Jews.

Joe Biden, at first known as a president extraordinarily supportive of Israel, is now seen differently, if he decides to withhold weaponry to Israel if it is to be used against civilians in Gaza. But who are civilians, and how can we tell another country how to use weapons we supply them once we supply them? We can’t run Israel’s war strategy. And we want to protect Israel.

Those who favor sending arms to Israel are correct. Those who favor conditioning arms on not further harm to the civilian population are correct. Those who say that they both can’t be correct are correct. What’s a poor president to do?

We need an internal discussion that does not “take sides”, that has a goal of creating peace. The multinational conversations going on in Qatar and Cairo don’t seem to be doing this. That’s in part because Hamas finds itself benefiting from the chaos, and apparently doesn’t mind how many Gazans will be martyred. And they certainly seem to have no desire to return any hostages, most of whom are probably dead, anyway.

Months ago, I said that we need a multi-Arab coalition (supported by the United States) to go into and take control of Gaza, run it as a UN mandate, perhaps, and take control from Hamas. As long as Hamas remains in power, there cannot be true progress, and I don’t believe that Israel can eliminate Hamas. But if a united Arab organization takes control, perhaps under the auspices of the Abraham Accords, peace can be attained, and we (all of us) will have time to sit back and really plan out the future. But to expect the Palestinian population to organize itself and overturn or even replace Hamas is pie in the sky. Not going to happen.

I understand I am just rambling on, and these paragraphs are not necessarily even connected to each other. But……that’s the purpose of a blog, isn’t it?