Sen. Jeff Merkley Calls For Cease-Fire In Israel-Hamas War – HuffPost
“Israel maintains that it is bombing civilian infrastructure and housing only when those structures are being used by Hamas militants, and that the deaths of Palestinian civilians, while regrettable, are not intentional. Merkley suggested that intentions do not matter as much when the scale of the destruction is so vast. ‘The impression the world has been left with is one of indiscriminate bombing,’ he said.
“Addressing Israel’s 56-year-long occupation of the West Bank and increasingly right-ward political turn, Merkley described his gradual realization that the country he first visited in 1978 was headed down a dark path that culminated in the current Israeli government’s inclusion of far-right, Jewish supremacist parties. ‘When I returned to Israel for the fifth time earlier this year, the pace of oppression had increased,’ he said.
“By waging a war that generates a shocking level of civilian carnage rather than a targeted campaign against Hamas, Israel is burning through its reserves of international support.” – Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)
Getting closer to the truth may not get you re-elected or set you free, but it’s a reasonable place to start when problem solving.
Who are Israeli settlers, and why do they live on Palestinian lands? – Al Jazeera
“As many as 700,000 Israeli settlers are living illegally in the occupied West Bank as settler violence surges.“
Dear White House: In a two-state solution, which you have advocated, what would be the status of Israeli settlers who have moved into Palestinian territory in the West Bank? Would they still vote in Israeli elections? Palestinian elections? Would some of the Israeli settlers, or all, have to relocate?
Jewish settlers can vote in Israeli elections, though West Bank is officially not Israel – Fox
“Israeli leaders have said they want to keep at least parts of the territory under a final peace deal with the Palestinians. And they have filled much of the area with Jewish communities — which does not normally occur in an area that is merely militarily occupied…
“Israel never annexed the West Bank, both due to intense international opposition and the demographic complications of incorporating its more than 2 million Palestinians into Israel. Annexation would have meant giving the Palestinians in the West Bank citizenship and the right to vote in Israeli elections, threatening Israel’s Jewish majority. Israel proper today has some six million Jews and almost two million Israeli Arab citizens.
“However, Israeli leaders have said they want to keep at least parts of the territory under a final peace deal with the Palestinians. And they have filled much of the area with Jewish communities — which does not normally occur in an area that is merely militarily occupied.”
While facilitating West Bank settlement, the government and army of Israel continue liquidating Gaza, which presumably would be part of Palestine in an agreement giving Palestinians nationhood:
Israel targets Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital: Here is what’s to know – Al jazeera

New York Times
If another country with military power over Israel bombed Israeli hospitals, infrastructure, and residences in the same way Israel is now bombing Gaza, how would the Israeli government characterize such action? Compliant with international law? Regrettable but necessary to achieve a military objective? A war crime? Genocide?
Palestinians take shelter at Nasser Hospital – Reuters
Next target?