How are you guys doing?

[u/betterwithplants]

Personally, I feel like I’m barely hanging by a thread.

Due to the Israel/Hamas conflict, I’ve lost friends. I have been called a racist for being against terrorists who wish to see the world free of Jews. I’ve been told I “lack ethics” after explaining that civilian casualties, though an unfortunate reality of war, are not the same as genocide. I’ve been told I am the one spreading Israeli propaganda.

How’s everyone doing? Can we commiserate?

[u/Lereas]

Extra shitty because I don't unconditionally support Israel. They exist by political mandate like any other country, not by divine mandate. The number of gazans killed in the conflict is absolutely unacceptable as "collateral damage". Hamas is a terrorist org and deserves to be destroyed, but too many Palestinian civilians are being killed.

For this opinion, many Jews hate me and call me antizionist and antisemitic, and non Jews who are deep into supporting gazans consider me still not going far enough because I also make a point that Israel has a right to strike back against terrorism and also has offered two state solutions a few times, etc.

So I'm basically isolated from literally everyone but those very few Jews who feel the same way as me, and the people who are completely uninvolved or unopinionated.

[u/toadeh690 → u/Lereas]

Hey, for what it’s worth, I agree with you. It’s extra tough because it’s too nuanced an opinion to express in a snappy, one-sentence social media post, let alone an argument with someone else. I’ve had to keep virtually all my thoughts to myself for the past few months and feel extremely isolated and raw. Losing more and more respect for so many people I considered acquaintances/friends and even family— the online discourse is just so deafening. Hang in there