I’m not gonna get too political, but this sticker I saw the other day while walking in NYC made me think. I stared at it as the confusion about the latest violence swirled in my brain. It made me ask, “Why does America handle any and all Israeli issues with kid gloves?”

The truth is, the American government and much of the media has always been reluctant to criticize any military action taken by Israel. Yes, I understand that all countries have the right to defend themselves. And yes I realize that Hamas has been tossing bombs across the border. But, are we really OK with a response that is tantamount to answering a bottle rocket with an a-bomb?

Is it really antisemitic to say that Israel bullies it’s neighbors? Is it really antisemitic to say that, if this is a fight over a land that is a religious birthright, then why has Israel bombed the shit out of it? Churches, temples, mosques destroyed. Children and women killed. If we truly want to believe Israel to be the ‘better’ of the two embattled neighbors, then how can we blindly forgive their actions?

OK I may be wrong and I’m more than willing to listen to a balanced debate on the subject. What bothers me though is there is no such debate taking place. No one is allowed to criticize Israel. No one is allowed to defend Palestine. Now I’m not raising a defense for Palestine or Hamas or whoever and I’m not laying blame on Israel. I’m simply wondering why no one is allowed to debate this.