@Pastorhorace:

You said:

"Until we get past the distinction that allows us to say killing a soldier is ok and killing a civilian is not- I do not believe we will solve this."

Neither will moral equivalence. Which is the only end to this kind of argument.

"Both sides wage war by the tactics they have available. A life is a life whether in the army or at a coffee shop."

And this is also unhelpful, and exactly what my above post was taking on. Murdering people in a coffee shop will not win the Palestinians anything. Right now it is the only leverage they have, but they will never, ever, get what they want this way, and the same goes for the Israelis, unless they engage in radically different and new ways with their "enemy."

Israel diverts money, water, food and medical supplies away from the Palestinians, who badly need it, because Hamas abuses the funds, and hoards the supplies. Israel must realize that they must circumvent Hamas and get these supplies to the Palestinians, because it is in their interest to do so. They think that by keeping them poor and under their thumb they are keeping the Pals down, but they only serve to radicalize and create more "enemies."