Today 16 Israelis and 10 Palestinians were killed in Jerusalem and Gaza, only 4 of whom could plausibly be classified as combatants. I used to wonder why the media never actually called this a war, but now I understand. Since the dawn of time, wars have been about armies fighting each other for control of resources or some ideology, with civilians killed as part of the operations directed at that army. This is more like two entire peoples woven together, mouthing ideologies and wishing vaguely for a better life, but also consumed by a learned hatred and lack of trust which continually feeds on itself, so that at times it seems like the struggle will continue, massacre after massacre feeding a blind rage and building high the walls which prevent people from reaching out, until one day some traveller will, in a city of burned-out car shells and collapsing buildings, find the streets littered with corpses clawing at each other in final acts of revenge for the doom which surrounded all. And so I will hold off on my follow-up to yesterday's settler post, and instead leave the day to this person.