Ultimately, I would argue that the morality of this debate should actually be flipped on its head. Maximalist stances on the conflict—including full “decolonization”—are the immoral ones because, in practice, they will lead to more war, more death, and more destruction for both Israelis and Palestinians. They will harden attitudes and push us further away from peace. And this, of course, includes the very ugly strain of maximalism on the Israeli side as well, which has no realistic chance of being fully realized but which radicalizes Palestinian and global opinion in its own right. If you want to help people in this tragic conflict, advocating—and yes, protesting and pressuring—for something as close as possible to accommodating both people’s perspectives rather than erasing one or the other is the best hope. Ignoring painful political realities may make you feel good on Twitter, but it won’t do anyone any good in the real world.

Daniel Silverman is an assistant professor of political science at Carnegie Mellon University. His research focuses on international security, political psychology, and the politics of the Middle East and the wider Islamic world. He has published in a number of top scholarly journals in political science (e.g., International Organization, International Studies Quarterly, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of Peace Research, etc.) and more public-facing outlets such as The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, and Political Violence at a Glance.

Image: Shutterstock.com