Back in graduate school, we learned how to think about the generation of crises historically. Starting with a snapshot of the moment of eruption just doesn’t lead to the depth of understanding necessary to make a reasoned assessment – and, yes, judgment – of what’s going on. In the media, on the op-ed pages, you will look in vain (for the most part) if you’re searching for any kind of historical comprehension of this latest disaster. And yet, we’re all historical beings, and our societies all have histories, which encompass how they’ve interacted with other societies, including neighboring ones.

Handringing over what’s coming down in Gaza isn’t enough. We need to understand how the crisis festered and exploded. Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies reminds us of an all-too-obvious truth that is ignored in about 99% of the current discussion: “When you decide to start the clock determines how you define the crisis.”

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