The IDF is not an occupying force

The first time I read the accusation that the IDF is an occupying force, I felt enraged. I couldn't understand how anyone could make such a claim to begin with. I thought about this and I came up with a few points to prove that the IDF is not an occupying force. Since I hate being a keyboard warrior, I thought that I'd share these here and ask for your input.<br><br>• Israel is not occupying any land: If you think about it from a historical standpoint. No land is occupied; it's either liberated, annexed, or owned. The proper term would be to say that the IDF is an annexed force or that it is a liberating force, but it does not and will not occupy any land. The term occupation is a loaded term and has no use in such a context.<br><br>• Israel is the occupying force: if you claim that the IDF is an occupying force, then you are admitting that Israel is occupied. Israel is occupied by the occupiers. You cannot occupy land that has been occupied by an entity. You cannot claim that the IDF is an occupying force if you admit that Israel is occupied, this is a paradox. If Israel is occupied, then the IDF is just another occupying force; it is not an occupying force, it is defending its land from the occupying forces.<br><br>• No occupying force has ever given the occupied land their own sovereignty: Israel gave the Gaza strip sovereignty. It has its own government and laws. Israel lifted its sovereignty from the occupied land, and took it to the settlements. The occupying IDF left its occupied land and gave it the people. Israel is not occupying the land; it has given the Palestinians sovereignty over their land. I will add my next point to this because it is related.<br><br>• No occupying force has ever given the occupied land more independence than the occupying land: Israel has given the Gaza strip more independence than the settlements. The settlements are governed by Israel, and Israel has lifted its sovereignty from the occupied Gaza strip. The Gazans have more independence than the settlers. Which is something that no occupying force in history has ever done. It is not an occupying force, it has given the occupied land more sovereignty than itself.<br><br>• No occupying force has ever accepted the occupied land's religion: All of Israel accepts the Palestinian religion. Israel is mostly Jewish, and the Palestinians are mostly Muslim, they do not have any problems with religion. In fact, religion is not discussed in Israel. While radical groups in Gaza encourage Islamic extremism. Even radical religious groups in Israel encourage their believers to do whatever they want with the land. Israel does not recognize any religious extremism except for radical Islamic extremism. <br><br>• No occupying force has ever accepted the occupied land's religion over its own: Israel has more mosques than synagogues. Israel has accepted the Palestinian religion more than its own. There is more freedom to practice Islam in Israel than Judaism. Israel has accepted the occupier's religion. Israel has more Muslim religious holidays than Jewish religious holidays. Israel has accepted the Islamic religion more than the Jewish religion. Israel has more mosques than synagogues; it has more Muslim holidays than Jewish holidays. If you said that the occupying land's religion is more free to practice than the occupying land's religion, does that make sense? No. If you want to claim that the occupier has accepted the occupied land's religion over its own, you would not claim that the IDF is an occupying force.