It is, obviously, ridiculous to argue in the general. I was always taught to argue in the general to the specific and never the other way round. You can make a general point but there is always going to be an exception that will undermine your argument. The specific does carry its own problem – it is usually based on personal experience. That also, is not to be relied upon to draw a conclusion as other experiences differ. One rule does matter though, where one chooses to start the argument determines where you want it to end.
So with Israel start it in 1948, you have one set of points; start it in 1892 and new points emerge; start it in 632 and many truths appear,