The United States and other nations are asking for there to be a cease fire in Gaza or at least a stand-down of the Israel Defense Forces. Of course, that's what conventional (esecially American) morality and rationality call for. It ain't gonna happen.

Children, other civilian Palestinians and aid-workers from other countries are being bombed and killed. Hosptials are being destroyed. Certainly these are human tragedies. But as long as Israeli forces are proceeding towards Israel's end game, the bombing and the killing will continue.

Israel declared it's independence from the United Kingdom in 1948 just as the United States did in 1776. Unlike 1776, the UK didn't go to war to try to prevent this. Numerous wars have been fought between Israel and its neighbors. Never has a non-neighboring country intervened. By 2023 virtually all nations recognize that Israel is an independent country with a right to continued existence. The only issue are the borders.

Israel has established recognized borders with its neighboring nations...Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt (although the Golan Heights my still be an issue with Syria). Importantly Jordan does not claim that the West Bank region is part of Jordan. Egypt does not claim that Gaza is part of Egypt. No recognized independent nation claims that either Gaza or the West Bank region are part of their nation

The West Bank region is not only not a part of any other nation, the Palestinians do not claim that it is an independent nation to be ruled by the Palestinian people. There will be no lasting peace in this region until control of the West Bank is established. But that isn't what is going on today.Today the issue is Gaza.

Israel will not allow its neighbor to be controlled by the terrorist organization Hamas, which does not recognize the Israel as a legal and soverign nation nor its right to occupy or govern any territory that was formerly inhabited by Palestinian people. Many Israeli's consider Hamas an existential threat to Israel.

It seem likely that the Israeli government's end game is the elimination of Hamas as a threat to Israel. If every hostage held by Hamas is killed it will be worth it to Israel If every doctor, nurse or humanitarian aid worker still in northern Gaza is killed it will be worth it to Israel. If every man, woman and child still in northern Gaza is maimed or killed it will be worth it to Israel in order to eliminate the existential threat that is Hamas.

Carrying it one step further... and as a reminder to Hezbollah and Iran... if backed into a corner by an externally applied existential threat... it will be worth it to Israel to use nuclear weapons. I wish that it were not so.