The Fanatics

A curious feature of the Israel-Palestine conflict is that many of the most intractable views exist outside the geographical area. If you look at the Palestinian side, the first 2 state solution supporters emerged inside the Occupied Territories while many of those outside it where still struggling to ‘liberate all of Palestine’.

Likewise, you can fin some of the most strident views against any sort of compromise, not in Israel, but amongst Israels supporters in the US. Just look here.

The prisoner swap involving Samir Qantar has demonstrated this curious situation.

“I will literally walk out on Israel and no longer support nor fundraise for the country any longer if they release Kuntar under any circumstances. I will no longer spend time working with various international organizations who benefit Israel through appeals and public relations……………If anything, Israel should have executed members of Kuntar's family in Lebanon in response to his unimaginable crimes, …………………….Releasing him would be a slap in the face of myself and everyone who has labored extensively for decades on behalf of the state of Israel, and I will no longer support the country financially or through any other means moving forward should he be released.” – second_coming

“Frankly, I get the impression that the current Israeli administration has changed the country into something that's very difficult for me to support.
For me, it started with the Gaza expulsion and talk of doing the same in the West Bank. The scenes of Jewish families being ethnically cleansed by the IDF shook my faith in Israelis. I no longer felt as connected as before.
Likewise, the years of IDF failure to secure the country from Hamas and Hezbullah raised serious questions about what Israelis are doing with our money, military assistance and political cover.” – NewsGuy

But that’s not going quite far enough for our now disillusioned Israel firster. Israels failure to resist any kind of compromise is seen as a moral failure,

“This is yet another wake-up call to show that so much of Israeli society is weak and stupid, led by a corrupt, immoral government -- due to its own fault. I am constantly reminded that while I support Israel as the Jewish homeland, I feel contempt for much of Israeli society. Sorry to say it, but it's true.” – NewsGuy

His lament continues,

“We all know that the big concern for the lives of Israeli citizens and this big show of moral superiority are really a cynical joke to cover up Israel's military weakness and political corruption.” - NewsGuy

Any compromise or negotiation is “weakness”.

I guess it’s easy to demand more blood when it’s others blood, and you’re sitting in your favourite armchair far, far away in New York or LA.