It's a special kind of hubris to believe that despite over a thousand years of conflict in the region, the right people to comprehensively understand and solve the problem are some people who make a search engine from the other side of the planet.
The entire history of this issue is roughly 100 years old and almost entirely due to imperialism and mismanagement, not some ancient bickering over who has the most correct supernatural beliefs. That’s a line we are taught to feel ok about ignoring the issue, which conveniently benefits Israel.
You're mostly right, but I don't think it's correct to say that the "entire history of this issue is roughly 100 years old". At least in the minds of many of the people in the riots — because this isn't exclusively a conflict between militants — it is about who owned the land first. Who's right here? Well, it's disputed. That's… why there's a war.
There were four empires who controlled the region over a period of thousands of years. There is a long long history of ethnic violence in the region, going so far back it’s literally prehistoric.
You’re just cherry picking facts to support one side of the story.
Also, the actual residents of settlements are often non-religious or even outright anti-religious Israelis who were simply priced out of homeowning in Israel proper. There are entire streets in settlements inhabited by families who immigrated from the former USSR for better economic prospects on the basis of Jewish ancestry, but who have absolutely no attachment to Judaism the religion, and they certainly aren’t going to claim a Torah-granted right to anything.
In any case, the parent comment claimed nobody was fighting over theology, not "mainly".
But it didn't start with the British, nor the Turks before them, nor the Mamluks, Crusader Kingdoms, Arabs or Byzantines. It started when the Romans defeated the Jews 2000 years ago and exiled many of them.
These activists primary motivation is to achieve the high the comes from exerting power over other people.
I would even say it's a noteworthy possibility, given that many people who are or will be influential at Google read HN.
But the distinction here about having a discussion vs. making a demand is also relevant. When someone is demanding you make a statement for seemingly no purpose, the real purpose is to assert control over you.
- the left get mad because it is "the least we can do"
- the right get mad because it is performative
ultimately people who have made up their mind on what the right thing to do is aren't really listening to those who disagree because they have believe they own the moral or procedural high ground.
The recent conflict in Israel/Palestine dates from the early 1900s, with a big acceleration around 1946-48.
Prior to that, the last longterm conflict in the region was over 500 years beforehand, in the Crusades.
But yeah, I agree that it's big hubris for some relatively ignorant and pampered American kids to believe they can solve it, or even properly understand it.