90% of the time you are pretty reasonable, but every once in a while you seem to become irrationally emotionally invested in a demonstrably wrong position...

Hamas runs Gaza, the everyday people in Gaza get no say over what is done in their names. Hamas is a puppet of Iran ... Gaza is operated as a puppet of Iran. Yes, Egypt also closes its border to Gaza, but it is Israel that periodically goes in and kills thousands when they feel Gaza has stepped out of line.

Hamas kidnaps and kills three Israeli teens in the West Bank, igniting the Gaza War, in which rocket attacks and airstrikes kill 2,251 Palestinians and 73 Israelis.

Israel launches a major military campaign against Hamas in Gaza after increased rocket fire from militants. The fighting ends on Jan. 18, 2009, with 1,440 Palestinians and 13 Israelis killed.

How does the fact that Egypt also closes its border with Gaza have ANY bearing on the fact that it is ludicrous to call Gaza an independent state?

Technically Gaza is not a sovereign state and is not recognized by other nations as such.

Ah, so I am technically correct and the rest of the international community agrees with me... so WHY are you arguing?

The people of Gaza have no control over what is done in their name.

I am in no way justifying these acts of barbarism- Hamas has become akin to ISIS and needs to be crushed, and its membership should be killed. I am just saying that it is delusional and, quite frankly, bizarre to say Gaza is an independent state when it is a puppet and pawn of states hostile to Israel, and in many ways Israel has a noose around Gaza's neck that it can and does tighten when Israel feels the need to do so...

The conditions in Gaza are tailor made to encourage radicalization- that does not excuse the monsters that inevitably arise, but it does suggest that maybe it would be better to address those conditions rather than continue doing the same thing over and over again.

Because you and I both know that this coming military operation - no matter how effective it is, no matter how justified- will only lead to MORE radicalization in the coming decade.