So... this may be an extremely taboo question to ask in pro-Israel United States, but... in what way are Israel's recent attacks on Gaza 'self-defense'? Sure, there's been rocket fire aimed by Hamas (and others) at Israel, but I'm not sure I comprehend the allegation that Israel constantly has to fear for its own existence.
It seems to me that Israel fears for its own existence as much as the U.S. fears for its existence vis-a-vis terrorism. I.e. It doesn't really. (Though this Russian professor would argue the U.S. should be fearing for its own existence.)
I'm not saying Israel is wrong to go hammering on Hamas in retaliation for attacks on its citizens. I'm saying it's weird to frame the whole Israel issue as self-defense.
[XY comment]: I agree that you can't really label this action as self-defense. If a bully punches you in the arm, and you take a bat to his head - is that self-defense? This isn't to say that I'm against Israel's actions just that the rhetoric about it being self-defense is more spin than fact.
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