I wouldnt go on to label someone a troll so quickly. Just because they have a point of view different than your own, doesnt automatically make them a troll.
His thoughts were articulated in a manner befitting of someone who understands the subject matter at a level adequate enough to make some decent points. And honestly, I agree with some of the points he made.
- Bulldozing houses & villages to make room for more Israeli settlements is NOT befitting of a civilized country. This has been expressed by both the US and the UN - especially with the level of force and often times un-announced intentions of the Israeli government to do so.
- I understand that Hamas launches attacks from highly populated civilian areas, into Israel. And Israel obviously has a right to defend itself and its citizens. However, using WP in highly populated areas in Gaza is NOT befitting of a civilized country either. (And dont say they dont, because there is plenty of footage of them doing so, as well as more than a member or two on here who Im sure has served in the area.)
- Hamas is definately evil, no doubt about that. Launching rockets indiscriminately into civilian areas is cowardly and evil - no argument from me there.
- He has a point, Israel is actually terrible at COIN. Bulldozing homes and villages in order to forcefully expand your territory and repopulate it with your own settlements does absolutely NOTHING beneficial to the peace process, despite what you seem to somehow think.
Does it anger people and polarize them against an Israel they see as treating them with utter contempt? Absolutely. Does it piss people off who lose everything they own, just so Israel can build a condo building where their home used to be? You bet it does. Does it leave angry, near poverty, unemployed young men an enemy they can direct their anger at, an enemy that is actually very much tangible to them? Yes, it does that too.
Israel might be fantastic at security. But its COIN doctrine is flawed, I agree. You dont battle an insurgency by going out of your way to create more insurgents, or using indiscriminate weaponry yourself (i.e. white phosphorous) in areas where you know civilians are going to be injured.
Guess that makes me a troll too...