Hamas and Israel have a lot in common. A pox on both your houses!

So much has been written about the conflict between Israel and Hamas, but what is rarely discussed are the many things Hamas and the Israeli government have in common. They are both prone to extreme violence in pursuit of their aims; they are both undemocratic and theocratic bodies that favor one religion over all others; neither wants to see a two-state solution; and both cynically think they benefit from ongoing conflict. And of course both have committed unspeakable atrocities in the past couple of months.

How much they have in common is also evidenced by how much Israel has funded and otherwise promoted Hamas over the past 10 years. (See reporting in the Times of Israel, The New York Times and elsewhere.) Maybe after recognizing the evil the two parties have in common, we (and they) can also find the common humanity shared by the people in the region. A cease-fire is a necessary first step in that direction.

Ferd Wulkan

Montague