Israel doesn't want to fight Palestinians, much less kill them. Its citizens just want to be left in peace. But when they're being attacked by a barrage of rockets flying into their residential areas, they have a right to defend themselves against the violence being unjustly heaped upon them.

And yet some people want to blame Israel for this conflict, as though the fact that Israel is winning somehow means that they're being overly aggressive. We must never go down that path because raising our heel against Israel would bring about our nation's destruction faster than anything else we are already doing.

Here are five simple reasons we must never turn our backs on Israel.

Muslim Extremists Hate Us as Much as They Hate Israel

Israel's enemies are our enemies. Israel is the "Little Satan" while the U.S. is the "Great Satan" in their eyes. The reason we haven't been bombed as much as Israel is that Israel is closer and it's easier to turn world opinion against it. You can bet that if Israel were destroyed, that would not sate their enemies' bloodlust. We must do all that we can to protect Israel and show our commitment to them because any weakness or waffling on our part will only embolden our enemies to attack Israel (and then us) even more.

There Is No Peaceful Solution Because of Anti-Semitism

If this was really a fight for a two-state solution or primarily about Israel's "occupation" of Muslim land, the whole problem would have ended a decade ago when Israel gave the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority and withdrew all of their forces and Jewish settlers from those areas. The Palestinians had their own country for the first time in history, thanks to Israel. And how did they show their gratitude? They elected a known terrorist group to their new government, burned the greenhouses Israel had left behind as a gift, and conducted hate-filled media campaigns against Jews. How does one reason with someone else who, when presented with everything they have been asking for, insists on attempting to kill the giver of the gift?

The Jews Want to Live, and They've Suffered Enough Already

Hamas' charter makes it clear that it will never recognize the right of Israel to exist as a sovereign nation. That pretty much throws out negotiation as a viable option for Israel, but they have still done everything in their power to placate their neighbors. The Jews just want peace, but the extremist Muslims who surround them do not. It is as simple as that. The Jews have suffered throughout a large portion of recorded history, and even in our civilized age. They don't deserve to die for holding to their beliefs and unique heritage.

The Jews Are the Chosen People

If we ever turn on Israel, the God of Israel will hold us accountable. The Jews, along with the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel, are God's chosen people. It may not be politically correct to say that one group is more special than another, but it is absolutely true in this case. The Jews have a special function to serve in the future, just as they did in the past. And there is no way that God will allow them to be destroyed. If the U.S. ever decides to join everyone else who is calling for sanctions on Israel or threatening it with utter destruction, we will discover (to our detriment) that God is capable of protecting his chosen people, with or without our help.

Israel Shares Our Values

Israel is the only free country in the Middle East. Think about that. Every other country surrounding it is some type of monarchy or theocracy. But Israel stands alone as a beacon of freedom and liberty. They value most of the same things we value in the U.S. Are they perfect? Of course not, no more than we are. But the point is that they are doing a good job of creating equality and prosperity for everyone within their borders. You certainly can't say the same thing about Hamas.

Conclusion

What Hamas is doing right now is propaganda, pure and simple. It is committing war crimes by using innocent civilians as human shields, forcing Israel to choose between killing Palestinians and protecting its people from unprovoked rocket attacks. Hamas has spent the foreign aid it's received from well-meaning countries on building tunnels and buying weapons to conduct terror strikes on Israel rather than on building infrastructure and improving the quality of life for its people.

There is no question that Israel is in the right in this conflict and every other conflict it has faced since it became a nation in modern times. Let us never be duped into believing that we should side with Israel's enemies. If we ever do that, we will witness for ourselves what happens to every great civilization that fights against the Jews.