You can watch the two previous round on this website, on YouTube or on my Twitter profile.

1. Even if some members of Hamas are hiding in hospitals isn’t it still a war crime to bomb those hospitals? Palestinian refugees seek shelter there hoping hospitals are the last safe places in Gaza. Then Israel bombs them. These hospitals are already collapsing because of the blockade. Why did Israel not create real safe havens first? Asking them to leave before bombing seems to be merely a propaganda trick, since they have no safe place to go. Am personally starting to think the Israeli leadership and a significant segment of the Israeli population is enjoying targeting large numbers of men, women and children. They know nobody is going to stop them now.

2. In one of our conversations you said that Hamas makes sure any aid that comes in does not go to the civilians. Am not entirely convinced this is true, but am actually assuming you are correct. According to me ‘the most moral army’ in the world should have created safe havens for the Palestinians. The counter-argument is that Hamas would never let them go, but Hamas is relatively small and has a fight with one of the most modern armies in the world on its hands. It can’t stop all of them from reaching safe havens created by Israel and its allies. If Hamas opts to attack its own citizens in order to stop them from reaching those safe havens Israel will have fantastic Public Relations material to show the world what Hamas does to its own people. Again, why do we see no sign that Israel tried to create safe zones for Palestinian civilians?

3. You said that Palestinians raise their kids to become martyrs. Why are all parents of dead kids in videos coming out of Gaza utterly devastated, broken ruins sobbing over the loss of their children? That’s what they taught them to become, no? Dead martyrs. I don’t see any rejoicing whatsoever.

4. You are right that there are still rockets coming out of Gaza targeting Israel. Israel can and should defend itself against this threat. Before our second conversation I admit that I saw those rockets as almost symbolic in nature given their practically neglible lethality. I didn’t think of how costly it is for Israeli families to maintain a permament defensive system against these rockets. I am open to any arguments from your side and willing to change my opinions if what you are telling me makes sense. In what way, if at all, have your opinions changed after our first two conversations?

5. A point I keep coming back to is that I am convinced the situation in the West Bank is far worse for Palestinians and Israeli conduct there far more reprehensible than you say. How do you and I come to some sort of objective and accurate conclusion as to what is going on there?

6. Whenever I mention some examples of atrocious behaviour on the part of Israelis you categorize these as ‘exceptions’. Is it possible you – just like me perhaps – focus on the worst possible examples among Palestinians to draw general conclusions?

7. Perhaps most importantly, what is the way out of this mess? Based on our second conversation I think the solution you envision is a total victory for Israeli forces over Hamas. I think this could indeed solve the situation for at least some time, but at a truly staggering cost in human life. Do you see any other way out?

8. I believe a two state solution is not a real possibility, because there is nothing to work with. There is no connection between Gaza and the West Bank and the West Bank is a kind of archipelago of barely connected islands of Palestinians surrounded by a sea of Israeli settlements. Am sure Israeli and US officials know the situation well enough to reach the same conclusion. As you know I am for a one state solution with everyone becoming Israeli citizens. I know this is also impossible, because jews then become a minority in Israel. Where is the solution then? I think that unfortunately for the Palestinians they will be herded into smaller and smaller pockets and will become ‘ghettofied’. I see October 7th as the last ‘hurrah’ of a people that will end up like most Native American tribes. October 7th is sort of the Little Big Horn of the Palestinians (except that the Sioux and their allies were defending themselves against an attack by a regular US army unit. By mutilating the corpses of the soldiers after the battle was over they did provoke similar outrage). My question is: how do you think things will end for the Palestinians?

9. Did the IDF shoot some of its own civilians in reaction to Al Aqsa flood?

10. Were the worst crimes of October 7th commited by Palestinian gangs and thugs that followed Hamas into Israel after they breached the border? I saw someone make the claim that Hamas is a disciplined force and that their aim was to hit soldiers and police officers and to take hostages, but that other Palestinians spilled across the border along with Hamas and exploited the chaos to go on a rampage. Am not saying I believe this, but am not dismissing this scenario either.

11. What would be your ideal outcome to this situation?

The following questions are purely out of curiosity and not related to the conflict.

11. You mentioned that there are certain aspects of your Jewish faith that can only be practiced while in Israel. What are these specifically?

12. You are originally from Chicago and grew up in New Jersey. At what point did you decide to make Israel your home and why? What is your relation to New Jersey now? 

13. Which language do you use most often, English or Hebrew?

14. Do you speak or understand Arabic?