It's important not to paint the people who gather on the hills of Sderot in Israel to watch the bombing of Gaza with a wide brush. Those who threaten journalists belong in a different category. Simply put, they are assholes. But they're not the only ones who attend these viewing parties. The experience for most is cathartic. It is more positive for them being there than staying locked inside a bomb shelter underground, and it's hard to blame them for feeling that way.
We should not place too much emphasis on this phenomenon, and instead focus our attention on the causes of this war and the real culprits: the Israeli and Palestinian leadership. Israel's rulers never should have backed Hamas in the late 1980s. But they flirted with Islamic extremists, and now they are facing the consequences.
Peace could have been made a long time ago between Israelis and Palestinians if it were not for the territorial ambitions of Israeli leaders. They want the land, not a chunk here and there, but all of it. The only crime that the majority of Palestinians have committed is being born Palestinian in the late 20/early 21 century.
Israelis watch Gaza operation from hills of Sderot. Source: AFP. Date Published: July 20, 2014.
