Backfire

All violence backfires. Police kill Black people and the citizenry reacts against police. If that reaction gets violent, the public disapproves of both.

And now, more than 400 days into Israel's retributive war on Gaza, backfire is operating in all directions and in ways that will sully the public reputation of those committing it. 

For example, in Eugene, at the U of Oregon, spraypainted swastikas and other hate defacing vandalism are emphatically not saving any children in Gaza. Instead, "pro-Palestinian activists" are causing increasing public apathy about what Israel is doing. 

Smart activism--and there is some being conducted by Palestinians--uses the tenets of conflict transformation, not conflict exacerbation. Any identity slurs will alienate the public and the public will decide if peace in the Middle East is a priority. 

If Americans who claim to care about Palestine would use nonviolent methods, including advocating for those Palestinians on the ground anywhere engaged in nonviolent resistance, we might see effective pressure on our own government to stop arms transfers to the region, and we are by far the biggest source for those arms.