Knesset

On the way to some of the museums, my wife and I walked by the Knesset (Israeli parliament) and other ministries. Like all governments, Israel does some good things and some bad things. It is good how Israel provides medical care to some people in Gaza, and even to some Syrians fleeing the conflict. It is also good that Israel allows its citizens to vote, and is not a dictatorship- however, at the same time it denies citizenship to tens of thousands of Palestinians who live in East Jerusalem.

Having said this, decisions to bomb Gaza, or to build settlements in the West Bank and to brutalize and occupy the Palestinian people there; also are made in these buildings.

 Many of Israel's actions in the West Bank and Gaza- such as settlement building, checkpoints, house demolitions (that were happening long before the three Israeli settler teenagers were kidnapped and killed), attacks on non-violent demonstrations, woundings and killings of Gazan fishermen for straying outside the zone imposed on them to make a living, other crimes... make the options of violence by shooting rockets or committing kidnappings and killings- which I do not support or justify or defend in any way... look like an option to many people who may feel they have very little to lose.

Interestingly, sometimes the Israeli Defence Forces have defied the Israeli Supreme Court in performing some actions, such as evictions, which the Court ruled against.