On Monday morning I found myself running breathlessly up to campus, on my way to Clark Library to finish a long overdue electrodynamics problem set. When I arrived on the Arts Quad, I was greeted by 1,300 black flags and a host of signs displaying statistics from the Battle of Gaza.

Later in the day, detractors would remove the signs from the Arts Quad. They would stow away statements made by the U.N., Amnesty International and the BBC. They would stamp out the statistics — houses destroyed, children murdered and war crimes committed. But they wouldn’t uproot the flags.

There were simply too many flags. In the 15 minutes between classes, who could uproot all 1,300 of them?

But it couldn’t have been sheer magnitude that kept detractors from removing the flags. Few flags went missing over the course of the day. The problem was that Islamic Alliance for Justice, who had installed the exhibit, had declared each black flag a life, lost to the Battle of Gaza since the last days of December. What would be the implications of uprooting such a symbol?

Of all the war memorials in Washington D.C., I find none more powerful than the Vietnam War Memorial. The Korean War Memorial is too beautiful and the WWII Memorial too grand. Only the Vietnam Memorial packs a somber punch. As you walk along the black granite wall, the list of deaths grows from an unimpressive few inches of the ground to a swelling 10-foot tall wall of lost soldiers’ names. And then it recedes, as agonizingly slow as it grew. It needs neither impressive statues nor grand towers. Just the names.

The Gaza installation was similar in its imagery. 1,300 small black flags were all it took. And yet people still insist the losses were necessary. This is, after all, a very complicated situation. There are no easy solutions. There is, in fact, nothing we can say for certain about right and wrong in this situation. So I am told.

I will not further elaborate on the Arts Quad installment. The flags spoke for themselves, even after the signs were torn down. Instead, I wish to respond to the numerous letters I received for my last column regarding the destruction in Gaza. Below is a sampling of issues raised since the piece two weeks ago, with my attempt to address them:

Hamas was hiding weapons in populated regions, using innocent civilians as human shields. To claim Israel’s fire was indiscriminate is to remain naïve to just how unscrupulous the enemy is.

True and true. Hamas militants were firing from among civilians, and perhaps they were using innocents as human shields. Granted, aside from open farmland, there is nowhere to fire missiles from except urban regions (as I mentioned two weeks ago, Gaza is a tiny place). Even still, I’d argue Israel could have done a better job with her offensive. Here’s how:

The IDF should have scrapped plans to pummel Gaza from the air and instead launched a full-scale ground invasion. A huge army should have entered by foot, and taken Gaza city, block by block, gunning down Hamas militants and removing innocents from harm’s way.

Okay, so naturally this would have inflated the Israeli death toll from the teens to the hundreds. But it would have spared the 300-plus children. If you can look me in the eye and tell me you’d rather save 300 soldiers and kill 300 children, I invite you to come around Libe Café between classes any day of the week to do exactly that. Alternatively, if you wish to write me yet another letter on the subject, I request at least one sentence that begins with the phrase “I think 300-plus child deaths were warranted because ______.”

Hamas’ own charter calls for the Destruction of Israel.

No one argues this point. In fact, at this point I’d like to make the claim that you and I are actually on the exact same side. I believe every Israeli deserves life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. But you honestly think the best way to oust Hamas from power is to pummel the Gaza Strip, leaving residents without food, clean water or proper sewage? You honestly think providing the people of Palestine with so much fodder for hatred and cynicism is the best way to prevent Hamas from reelection?

The scary part of Hamas’ ascendance to power isn’t even its destructive charter. The scary part is that they were indeed elected by a majority of Palestinians. How does this reflect how Israel has treated the Palestinians? For those of you still penning your letters, I’d also like to request a clause that begins with the phrase “Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian people is best exemplified by _________.” The blank is a list of specific endeavors undertaken by Israel to demonstrate their commitment to a productive Palestinian society.

What exactly is a “proportionate response?”

Well, not 8,000 Qassam rockets. I think we can all agree that’s not productive. I don’t wish to ponder what I’d consider a proportional response. In fact, I say there is no need to speak of “proportionality” — this is not a war between two nations. This is a trigger-happy occupier versus a small group of sadistic spoilers who use grieving mothers to breed hatred and warfare.

Proportionality is not even part of the equation, because the two sides are so very different. The Palestinians live in their own excrement, relying on foreign aid for basic needs like food and water. From the refugee camps of Lebanon to the crumbled slums of Gaza City, Palestinian life is marked by poverty, joblessness and a loss of identity. Did you expect anything less than rampant hatred? You put a dozen rich white kids in a prison for a week, and so psychology tells us, they’re at each other’s throats in no time. Now try generations of families with no home or livelihood…

Israel is a rich, educated, first world nation full of doctors, lawyers, professors and businessmen. Israelis have shopping malls, iPods, lively cities and quiet suburbs. Such a prosperous nation should realize they have an obligation to bite the bullet on this one.

As I’ve said before, Israel must rebuild Palestine. They must pour time and effort into recreating what the Palestinians lost. Along the way, they should expect ungrateful spoilers to continue attempting to drag them into chaotic warfare. But they must realize this is a product of generations of misfortune — not a direct response to momentarily letting their guard down.