Mr Brian Eno Speaks Out on Gaza, Israel, West Bank. Peter Schwartz replies.

Just because Brian Eno wrote this piece, which is highly critical of Israel, it doesn't lend it any special credence. There's also no reason to disparage the piece, just because Brian Eno wrote it. Especially in terms of describing facts on the ground, this letter DOES have the ring of truth about it, IMO. The piece also contains a response by Mr. Eno's friend, Peter Schwartz. Peter seems to be trying to stake out a "moderate" position. "Gaza and the Loss of Civilization by Brian Eno, July 28, 2014" http://davidbyrne.com/gaza-and-the-loss-of-civilization I was pleased Peter Schwart's response was included. Personally, I think Peter's trying too hard, considering the asymmetrical nature of this war's human toll - to enunciate a position that takes the "Middle Ground." Israel's arsenal dwarfs anything Hamas can hope to assemble, thanks to your tax dollars at work. During the latest invasion, Israel has killed and destroyed vastly more than Israelis have been killed or their homes destroyed, a fact you can't just gloss over. And Peter erroneously presupposes that those of us who've been passionately critical of Israel haven't been sufficiently critical of Obama, Putin, Syria's al-Assad, and sundry other war criminals. (Though it bears noting that the USA doesn't send Syria's al-Assad $3-4 billion annually.) For my part, I haven't let their atrocities pass without condemnation. OK, perhaps I've not been SUFFICIENTLY critical, mind you. But I've had my say, right here on Monologue Mountain! So let me be perfectly clear: I am not going to attempt to "justify" Hamas' actions, across the board. But when Israel turns Gaza into the worlds largest open-air prison, Israelis should expect at least a few (hundred? thousand?) rockets fired at them in anger. No people interested in its own self-defense would do otherwise; even if these rocket strikes against Israel habitually result in the kind of Israeli Blitz the world is bearing witness to as I write. Being continually under the most inhumane kind of siege, having one's hospitals, mosques and schools blown up, and 1400+ Palestinian bodies blown apart - that will tend to make a man act out in frustration.