On Wednesday night, against the backdrop of the war in Gaza expanding to Lebanon and Syria, ZeroHedge held a debate to discuss the war in the Middle East.

Debating that question and more at last night's ZeroHedge debate were talk show host Dennis Prager and Newsweek opinion editor Batya Ungar-Sargon vs. Young Turks founder Cenk Uygur and libertarian Dave Smith. The event was masterfully moderated by Saagar Enjeti, founder of Breaking Points.

Key themes included the morality of Israel's invasion and the broader historical and political context that led to it, historical narratives - including grievances, perceptions of historical rights to land, and the impact of these narratives on current attitudes and policies, and future prospects of potential solutions and the feasibility of peace in the region.

Summarizing the participants' general positions:

Dennis Prager: Argues that the root of the conflict is the non-acceptance of a Jewish state by Israel's neighbors. He emphasizes that if Israel disarmed, it would lead to genocide against Jews, drawing a parallel between the hostility Israel faces and historical antisemitism.

Cenk Uygur (The Young Turks): Criticizes the conduct of Israel in the conflict, pointing to the high number of Palestinian casualties and the broader humanitarian impact. He challenges the portrayal of Hamas and Palestinian resistance, comparing it to historical resistance movements against oppression.

Batya Ungar-Sargon: Focuses on whether Israel's actions since the invasion were just and suggests that while the devastation is immense, Israel's military actions are justified as self-defense against a terrorist group (Hamas) embedded within civilian areas.

Dave Smith: Discusses the complexities of the situation, suggesting that simplistic narratives about good vs. evil do not capture the realities of the conflict. He stresses that both Israelis and Palestinians include individuals who desire peace and those who pursue more extreme outcomes.