Is Palestine's Resistance Legitimate or Is Israel's Self-Defense Justified?

You call it resistance; I call it the deliberate targeting of innocent civilians. There is nothing 'legitimate' about firing rockets into kindergartens, murdering teenagers at a music festival, or taking hostages—including children and the elderly. The Palestinian leadership has repeatedly rejected two-state solutions, choosing instead to glorify death and martyrdom. When Hamas uses its own people as human shields, embedding weapons in schools and hospitals, it is not fighting for liberation—it is sacrificing its own population for a political goal. That is not resistance; that is terrorism, pure and simple. You claim Israel's 'self-defense' is a euphemism, but what would you have Israel do when faced with a genocidal charter that calls for its destruction? After October 7th, when over a thousand Israelis were brutally slaughtered, raped, and burned, any sovereign nation has the right—and the duty—to respond. Israel does not target civilians; it targets the terrorists who hide among them. The high civilian toll is a tragic consequence of Hamas's cowardly tactics, not a deliberate policy. Compare that to the thousands of rockets fired indiscriminately into Israeli cities, forcing millions into bomb shelters. The asymmetry is not in casualties—it is in morality. Your narrative of 'occupation' is a distortion of history. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, handing it over to the Palestinians. Instead of building a state, they built tunnels and launched attacks. And as for the West Bank, Israel's presence is a result of defensive wars launched against it by Arab neighbors who refused to accept its existence. The 'settlements' you decry are not the cause of the conflict; they are a symptom of the Palestinians' refusal to recognize a Jewish state. You cannot demand Israel negotiate with those who pledge to destroy it and then blame it for defending itself. You invoke Mandela, but Mandela fought against apartheid—a system Israel does not practice. Arabs in Israel enjoy full citizenship, serve in the Knesset, and hold positions in the judiciary. The real apartheid is in the Palestinian territories, where Hamas and the PA deny basic freedoms, execute political opponents, and pay terrorists to murder Jews. Your 'moral imperative' is a license for violence, not a path to peace. Israel offers a hand for peace, but it cannot be expected to lay down its arms while facing an enemy that promises to throw it into the sea. Self-defense is not a war crime—it is the foundation of sovereignty. And until your side renounces terror, Israel's response is not just justified; it is essential for its survival.