What a thoughtful and balanced statement. I’m sure that it will not satisfy, even infuriate, those who choose sides and strive to make this exceedingly complex situation a “good guys vs bad guys” scenario. The fact is, there are plenty of good guys and bad guys on both sides, and it’s the bad guys who perpetrate the violence against others. President Obama is correct that taking an “eye for an eye”, or even a thousand eyes for an eye, approach will only prolong and intensify the agony and resentment, providing more fodder for justifying continued violence, by all sides.