Israel is justified in their invasion of Gaza

"You're also suggesting that diplomacy is useless, and conflict and "victory" is the only solution. You've also said that because the Palestinian people are allied with Hamas, it's fine by you that they get killed. I ask you then, if this is the case, where does your solution end apart from the entire destruction of the Palestinian people? " My end is when the Palestinian people decide that they are tired of letting an extreme minority explain the world to them and MAKE THE EFFORT to take control of their country away from terrorists and cowards. Hamas is responsible for the deaths of every single civilian in this conflict, not Israel. Why? The same reason we in America arrest the person who coerces another into murdering someone else. Hamas is responsible because THEY STARTED THE ENTIRE CONFLICT. Any deaths that come after the actions of Hamas to provoke Israel YET AGAIN are laid squarely at Hamas' feet. That's what you've been missing the entire debate. If Israel doesn't respond with just as much resolve as the terrorists, they are vulnerable to exploitation. ". .. evidence that the people are allied with Hamas, and actively supporting it. Proximity to the militants isn't being allied with them. If a man runs into your house with a gun, it doesn't mean you support him because you didn't run away out of fear of being shot, and let's face it, it's ridiculous to say you do. .. " No you're right, not running out of your house after someone runs in with a gun isn't supporting him. But an operation like Hamas doesn't run by itself. You have YET to answer my point that if the Palestinians wanted to, they could provide pinpoint locations on probably ever bunker and safehouse in Gaza. But they don't. Why? Why, pray tell, would they not want these people (that they supposedly do not support) to be found and destroyed? Because they do support them. They say they don't support them only after something bad happens to individual families. The VAST majority of people DO support Hamas, and I can prove it with one statistic. more than 60% of the seats in the Palestinian legislature belong to Hamas or Hamas-allied groups. They would only vote for Hamas because they support Hamas and what it stands for. "What I do argue is that Israel in responding have the onus of defending with reasonable response, which if it was reasonable, would justify the invasion of Gaza. In no way has Israel responded with a balanced measure. .. " Israel responded in a very reasonable way. They used precision tactical strikes against buildings and areas KNOWN to contain large numbers of Hamas operatives, and used ground forces to clean up. There is nothing more reasonable. They didn't carpet bomb the major cities of Gaza, they didn't run into the capital city and overthrow the government, they merely tried to remove those people and weapons that were obstacles to peace. There is a difference between balanced measures and balanced RESULTS. If Israel's security personnel can avoid getting killed, where do you get the gall to criticize them? If Israel can keep their people alive, who are you to criticize that? The Palestinian government apparently is incapable of keeping their people from starting wars, and the blame once again falls straight back on Palestine. Israel is not wantonly bombing various neighborhoods in Gaza, they are bombing where the terrorists are. " Every Palestinian is not a militant, and you cannot justify their death simply because of where they were born. Are you really going to suggest children that perished in the conflict were actively supporting militants? " Children dying is always a tragedy, but in this case it is unavoidable. Israel cannot accomplish its goals with appropriate concern for the safety of its personnel if they have to actively surround, breach and clear every building there are operatives in. Otherwise, Hamas would simply blow the building off the face of the earth and blame an Israeli air strike and hundreds of Israeli personnel would die ALONG WITH THE CHILDREN YOU SO BADLY WANT TO PROTECT. If the Palestinians want the children to stop dying, THEN THEY SHOULDN'T ALLOW HAMAS TO BUILD BUNKERS AND SAFEHOUSES NEAR CHILDREN. Is that so complex? Obviously Hamas has no trouble getting guns and money, maybe the people of Palestine need to take a hint and start their own movement. Otherwise, they have no place to complain, because if Israel doesn't act, it is Israeli children who will die. Two things - I never accused you of lying. If you choose to take it that way, that's your problem. But I never accuse anyone of lying, because this is politics and the words are synonymous. "There have been women and children killed, and you have yet to provide any evidence they were aiding Hamas at the time. " This is semantics, pure and simple. You are using the lives of human beings simply to attack Israel. If they were men it should make no difference. Hamas tries to use these people as human shields, which basically forces Israel to take the unpopular route and take the chance to kill them in order to kill Hamas' manpower. In war there are casualties, and these people bet on the wrong horse when they elected Hamas into power AND ALLOWED THEM TO END THE CEASE-FIRE. They should've marched in the streets, rioted in front of the government, DONE SOMETHING. Instead they went about their daily lives and were forced to pay a terrible price for their lack of action. You would like us to believe, as intelligent, thinking people, these three things: 1. Israel was the aggressor in this conflict, and all lives lost therefore fall at the feet of the IDF. This is a HUGE fallacy, and is insulting to anyone with a brain. Israel is DEFENDING ITSELF the only way it can, attacking where the enemy is. You would prefer that Israel not act at all, and that Israeli civilians were killed because that way Palestinians live. Because that's what would happen, and you know it. If Israel doesn't defend itself, EVERYONE dies. There is no middle ground. Israel can't attack Hamas without harming civilians, pure and simple. YOU SHOULD HAVE REALIZED A LONG TIME AGO THAT HAMAS WANTS IT THIS WAY. 2. The Palestinians are not responsible for the acts committed by their popularly elected government. What? ? And Americans aren't responsible for the actions of Former President Bush? That's ridiculous. The people are responsible for the actions of their leaders in a freely elected government. Or do you believe that we, as Americans, are not responsible for the actions of Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld? WE ELECTED THEM, SO WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS. WE GAVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THE DECISIONS THEY DID, and therefore that makes US culpable for their mistakes. 3. My opponent has failed to address the point that the Palestinians can solve this problem with NO OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE. This is the crowning point. The Palestinians can end this ENTIRE conflict once and for all, now that they are in charge of their own destiny. Throw Hamas out, outlaw their radical beliefs, and re-sign the truce with Israel. Anyone who says otherwise is subsidizing cowardice. I will now sum up my argument, which I believe is the more responsible, the more realistic, and the more intelligent. Israel has been painted as the bad guy because we like to believe that every enemy will march forward in line and uniform to fight their wars. Sadly, we know it is not true. If Hamas hides in the civilian population, and Israel doesn't act, then Hamas will simply hide PERMANENTLY in the civilian population and just keep attacking Israel, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Israeli civilians instead of Palestinian ones and the conflict endures. Allowing Israel to strike back has the chance to end the conflict, something Hamas can never do.