When is Violence a Rational Response?

Are the oppressed ever justified in using violence against their oppressors? How do you interpret the violence of Hamas or Islamic Jihad? How about Israeli violence? Do you think the Palestinians are the violent oppressors and the Israelis are merely defending themselves from such barbarism or the opposite? Are the Israelis in the midst of a cultural destruction whose violence extends far beyond military action? While it is true that one could examine many other conflicts in the world - e.g. India/Pakistan over Kashmir, Chechnya, Chiapas/Mexico, the Southern Sudan - is it not also true that the Israel/Palestine conflict is one of those conflicts deserving of the attention it receives?

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