Q: How can Israel justify killing civilians if their intent is to crush Hezbollah?
A: The death of innocents is a tragic inevitability of war. Our hearts go out to all those caught in the middle. The sad fact is that the Lebanese people are being held hostage by Hezbollah. Just as it is clear that Hezbollah is morally culpable for any harm done to the two Israeli hostages that they hold, so too are they culpable for the fate of Lebanese innocents amongst whom they hide. A civilian who is killed while being used by a terrorist as a human shield is a victim of the terrorist, not the Israeli army, who does not target innocent civilians.
Q: Isn't Israel's response a bit disproportionate?
A: If Israel were merely taking revenge, then it would need to be proportionate. But Israel is waging a defensive war. Since when is war proportionate? In war, you don't measure your response to the enemy by what they have done to you in the past, but rather by what needs to be done to stop them attacking in the future. Israel's actions are proportionate to the threat, not the damage done.
Q: Doesn't Israel understand that they are just creating more terrorists? The anger and fury at Israel as a result of bombing Lebanon will only make more people want to join Hezbollah.
A: Feelings of frustration, anger, fear and rage do not make you into a terrorist. A culture of death and an education of hate does. Israel doesn't need to do anything to create terrorists - Islamic extremism does that - but Israel must act to destroy those who threaten its people.
Q: Hezbollah indeed has a militant wing, but it also does a lot of good. They are responsible for social programs, educational projects and humanitarian work in South Lebanon. By destroying Hezbollah, Israel also destroys all the good they do. Isn't that demonising a group that is not all bad?
A: If a serial killer also happens to volunteer for his local hospital, has donated money to an orphanage, and looks after his ailing grandmother, he is still a serial killer, and should be treated as such. The danger he poses far outweighs the concern for any good he may do.
Q: By using violence, how is Israel any better than its terrorist enemies?
A: That is as ridiculous as saying that a woman who fights off an attacker is no better than her attacker. Israel would not touch Hezbollah if it did not attack. Israel seeks to live in peace with its neighbours; Hezbollah and its allies seek to destroy Israel, no matter what Israel does.
Look at the Hezbollah flag. It depicts a rifle lifted in the air. Violence is a part of its very identity. On the other hand, the very name of the Israeli army defines its purpose: The Israel Defense Force. Its flag depicts an olive branch and a sword: peace is a priority, war is a last resort.
For Hezbollah, war is holy. For Israel, war can never be holy. War may be necessary, like when your citizens are being attacked unprovoked; war may be moral, like when innocent lives are being threatened; but even then, war is never holy.
There is a world of difference between a moral war and a holy war. A moral soldier fights reluctantly, while holy warriors glory in the fight. A moral soldier is burdened by the obligation, while holy warriors delight in the pain inflicted on the enemy. A moral soldier fights when there is no other option; a holy warrior seeks violence as a way of life. A moral soldier takes measures to limit innocent casualties; a holy warrior seeks to maximise them.
A holy warrior fears times of peace, because then he has no purpose. A moral soldier dreams of a time when peace will reign. Then, the Israel Defense Force will be made joyously redundant, as "one nation will not lift a sword against another nation, and they will no longer learn to wage war".
2 comments:
Well said.
It's not the popular view but I agree. Popular as portrayed by the media that is, who are culpable for causing so much distress through their distorted views and reportage. Historically, how long has 'shalom' (translated as peace') been the form of greeting in Israel, when I lived there it was the only way to say 'hello', we sang it at shabat. I was 4 kilometres from Gaza, we had many 'red alerts' bombs went off in Jerusalem, there was always sniper fire on the Lebanon border so you took extra care when travelling in the north. It'll probably die down again this time, but flare up again in the future. It would take a lot for it to stop completely and peace to reign permanently.
It's a long time since I did the kibbutz thing, but Israeli children were taught from an early age they would have to fight for their country one day. They don't live with their parents so they're totally independent and loyal to their country, which has only arisen through the massive struggle and loss of people over centuries, since the pogrom (or should that be diaspora?) that resulted in them being dispersed all around the world. I admire them for their strength and national pride. Since coming back to the UK (via Aus, well documented) I've mainly worked for Jewish people, speak a little bit of ivrit, and watched work colleagues go back to Israel to do their national service, not always knowing if they'll be coming back but knowing they're really up against it when they're out there. They have no choice.
So said, I've worked and mixed with Arab people too, most of whom are against terrorism in any form but particularly the present one. And there are some fervent religious Jews who don't help the cause by their attitudes. The difference is Hezbollah members do have the choice in whether they join the movement, correct me if that's wrong. Agreed, they bring their children up on hate in the name of religion, to throw stones at the Israeli soldiers, the populist thing to bring them up thinking the best thing they can do is believe in the glory of martyrdom so they will have no qualms about giving up their lives by being a suicide bomber. I mean, what mentality does that take, to go out with bombs strapped around your body, find a venue full to capacity of innocent happy people, including teenagers and children having a day out, celebrating, whatever, and know the result will be the loss of many lives, those that live will be maimed for life, limbs missing, blinded, their quality of life destroyed, for what? So many mothers and fathers crying at the loss of a young innocent life. To me that's unthinkable, I couldn't teach my children to do that, it would devastate me if I thought I'd brought them up to feel so much hate.
This is all why I don't follow any religion. That religion teaches you to hate those with different beliefs, to go out and destroy and be rewarded. We're all people, same genetic formula, what sort of God gives the message to destroy those who think differently? Not one I would want anything to do with certainly. I thought God was supposed to be about love and peace. I think I must be so naive that I still get shocked to the core when new fighting flares up, when the tactics used get nastier and dirtier, and when no matter what, there's never an end in sight.
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