My longtime friend and political nemesis Buddy Bankhead wrote a column on this page on Nov. 17 that the “explosion of demonstration and hatred and resentment not only of Israel but of America” was “unbelievable.”

Buddy’s problem is that he sees issues only in terms of black or white because if he kept an open mind about Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, he might come to understand their festering animosity toward the Jewish state.

First off, I’m not an apologist for the horrific attack by Hamas terrorists. Nothing can justify attacking and murdering innocent civilians in Israel nor the kidnapping of about 250 hostages including several Americans. Israel certainly has a right to defend itself, but the massive bombing in response is nothing short of a war crime itself.

More than 1,100 Israeli and foreign nationals were killed in the Hamas attack, but more than 10 times that number have been killed by indiscriminate bombing in Gaza City. Belatedly, Israel has sent in ground troops and tanks to face off against Hamas, but why wasn’t that strategy deployed before the bombing? Do you need to kill 1,000 Palestinian women and children to offset one Israeli soldier’s life?

Bombing has shuttered nearly every Gaza City hospital. Power was shut off in one neo-natal ward where 36 babies were removed from incubators because of a lack of power. Nine of those babies died before they were transferred to another hospital. Bowing to international outcries, Israel recently allowed limited fuel and food supply into the city.

I hope Buddy is paying attention to the world-wide response. Pro-Israel rallies are being organized, but their demonstrators are dwarfed by the hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian supporters. Thanks to media coverage, people can see with their own eyes the brutality of helpless children being maimed and murdered.

Now that Gaza City has been bombed into utter destruction, Israel is starting to heed the calls for a ceasefire or at least a humanitarian pause. Israel is starting to lose the world’s sympathy due to its overzealous retaliation. Buddy is against this idea and probably doesn’t care about the root cause for Hamas’ support by Palestinians.

For years, Israel has subjected Palestinians to inhuman treatment. It has seized land and built settlements in the West Bank in violation of UN resolutions and international law. Armed Israeli youth roam Palestinian farms and accost or shoot unarmed farmers. Ask yourself, Buddy, how long would you endure such treatment?

Predictably, Buddy turns his column into a plea for a “ceasefire” for Donald Trump. It’s a wonder that 91 criminal indictments must have slipped Buddy’s memory.

Truthfully, Trump’s problems are of his own making — both civil and criminal. He’s been convicted of sexual assault in a civil case and was ordered to pay $5 million in damages. But he’s a slow learner. No sooner than that case was settled, Trump allegedly slandered the same woman again and is facing a trial seeking $10 million in damages.

Let’s not forget the Jan. 6 insurrection on the Capitol and his effort to subvert democracy in the Georgia election and organizing slates of fake electors in several other states.

Trump is desperately trying to delay all those trials coming up next year. He’s pinning his hopes on winning the 2024 election, and you can bet he’ll try to pardon himself.

I urge readers to read about his plans to pardon all the rioters convicted for Jan. 6 crimes and then enforce draconian measures to punish his political foes. He’s the biggest domestic threat to our democracy since the Civil War. A vote for Trump is a vote for fascism.