Empathising with Israel

One thing that strikes me about many of Israel’s critics is their unwillingness to even think about why Israel acts as it does. Those who think that Israel is wrong to be doing what it is doing in Gaza should read Daniel Finkelstein’s column in The Times this morning; I won’t quote from it because it is such a splendid piece of writing that it deserves to be read in full. I’m not saying that after reading it you will agree with Israel’s actions but it will give you a sense of empathy with the Israelis, an understanding of why they do what they do. Given the Holocaust, it is unrealistic—and unreasonable—to expect Israel to take threats to wipe it off the map lightly.