I think I can cut through the question with a simple answer. I would want peaceful coexistence and safety and security for my family. I suspect I would not be happy with the Hamas tactic of trying to switch and bait Iran into a conflict. I wouldn't be surprised that 0.3% of my fellow population had become radicalised, but I certainly would try and stop them initiating revenge plans - particularly if those plans were likely to destabilise an arab-israeli agreement bringing stability and empowering lobby groups in the Saudi and US Governments to temper the Israeli far right.

I'm not going to defend Israel, but I am going to point at the wider geopolitics here and question the assumption that 'all human beings want the same thing' - because I think that's not true. I think there's a problem you haven't identified between the stated aim of liberal countries, which you have universally credited to everyone, and autocratic religious regimes like Iran which have a fundamental desire to remove Western liberalism. It also goes without saying that China and Russia are both funnelling as much stuff into the West as they can, as a divided Western population is ideal at voting time - particularly the US democrats. Why? Trump would be a godsend for Putin, less so for Xi Jinping, and ideal for Iran. He's got isolationism written all over him and that'd suit the rising ambitions of the BRICS countries to create a new world order without the US or EU. This is why Hungary and Turkey are now hedging their bets.... we're in a time of flux that can't be ignored by politicians, even if the general public doesn't really think too much about it.

I think there are plenty of non-violent zionists in Israel, though they are being drowned out by an ever more virulent right wing and a blundering Netanyahu. He's playing right into the hands of Hamas - but so are many left-commentators on the West. I outlined what I thought Hamas were doing last year. I haven't changed my mind. There's a massive advantage that comes with starting a war you know you can't win, betting on a violent overreaction and then using your own population as a defence shield whilst you party-hearty in Qatar.

Had Netanyahu been smarter he would've been restrained, demanded the hostages back, continued to push through with the Abraham accords and Israel and Saudi could've pressured the Iranians to become involved or for the Gaza population to take matters into their own hands pending targeted assassination of the leadership. Hamas COULD have been overthrown by their own population or taken to task by their proxy masters - but Netanyahu is a reactionary idiot with a cabinet full of hawks. He's neither got the hostages back, succeeded in his war aims, or done anything of real note other than protect his own premiership.

But Bush did the same in 2001 and your own country has yet to apply this new-found empowered Western logic to the native American population. I'm pretty sure if members of the Lakota came out of retirement and executed 1000 South Dakotans as part of a blood feud, this approach would rapidly change.

Phew, that turned out to be quite a long one. :o)