Religious Warfare on the Globe Comment Boards

If there's one topic that prudent writers avoid, it's that which might incite extremists on either pole of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In fact, I'm almost nervous to call anyone an extremist - even anonymously; no doubt I'll be getting emails from both sides accusing me of sleeping with the enemy.

But while I might keep my own conflicting, tragically uninformed, shifting opinions on this subject to myself, that doesn't mean I’m not entertained by the stubborn, often asinine ramblings of message board polemicists.

Right now, as you do something constructive with your time, there are dozens of Boston.com readers whipping up agitated comments attacking or defending Jeff Jacoby’s latest column, “The Oldest Hatred.”

The way their hollerings read, it’s clear that some of these folks actually believe they can change the mind of foes across the ideological aisle. CLICK HERE for the mad infallible mutterings of New England’s leading Middle East scholars. Just beware - some are longer than the column that inspired them.