I think you’re right that Hamas benefits from having civilians around. They’re extremist assholes who do not benefit from peace or stability. A peaceful Palestine is one where Hamas loses its purpose.
But to be honest, I haven’t seen much concern from the IDF for preventing civilian casualties. Compared with civilian deaths in the dense cities of Ukraine or any other recent conflict, the utter disregard for innocent life is staggering. And the rhetoric coming out of Israel from both military and politicians — including calling Palestinians vermin and animals, claiming unarmed children are valid targets, threatening to nuke them, eradicate them completely or expel them — does not inspire confidence in their best efforts or good intentions.
Moreover, it is also 100% in the IDF’s best strategic interest to claim that civilian deaths are unavoidable. I also suspect there are some hot heads who actively want to kill civilians as vengeance or a terror tactic, to make Palestinians lose hope.
Yes, I am in full agreement. Though I will say I think that Israel has a “quiet majority” right now that has been severely shocked into, basically, just seeing red. As an American, I have felt this before. It becomes almost impossible to heartfully criticize the extremists when you have that feeling of pain inside of you, I have tremendous admiration for those that can. It dissipates, but it takes time.
It basically gives the extremists license to drive the bus for awhile though.
I can only hope the Israeli people come to their senses before its too late. I personally am not in any kind of position to shame them though, because I know exactly how they feel.
I think 9/11 is a great analogy. The lesson I draw from that period, however, is that we cannot let bloodlust win. Hundreds of thousands dead, $8 trillion spent, for nothing.
That America overreacted to 9/11 and compounded the scale of the tragedy is now a standard position among progressives, and even some conservatives; these days it takes little courage to denounce “the forever wars” and to condemn the shortsightedness of liberal intellectuals who aligned themselves with George W. Bush and his neoconservative advisers to champion the invasion of Iraq. But at the time, it was far more common for conscientious progressives to equivocate and prevaricate. To foreground the suffering of the Americans in the Twin Towers was obligatory; to acknowledge the past, present, or future victims of American violence abroad was at best awkward; to imply these things might be related was something almost no one wanted to hear when it might have made any difference.
Now is not the time to abandon nuance, but neither is it the time to be too “understanding” of Israel’s bloodlust, because their overwhelming advantage in power and resources over Palestinians means an alarming potential for abuse.
Well said. Our political approach to trying to help can potentially be counter-productive, though.
While this is as political as a problem can get, the root is emotional trauma. Damage to the millions of individual physical bodies. Perhaps a better approach, instead of coming at it more as citizens, perhaps more as doctors?
I think you’re right that Hamas benefits from having civilians around. They’re extremist assholes who do not benefit from peace or stability. A peaceful Palestine is one where Hamas loses its purpose.
But to be honest, I haven’t seen much concern from the IDF for preventing civilian casualties. Compared with civilian deaths in the dense cities of Ukraine or any other recent conflict, the utter disregard for innocent life is staggering. And the rhetoric coming out of Israel from both military and politicians — including calling Palestinians vermin and animals, claiming unarmed children are valid targets, threatening to nuke them, eradicate them completely or expel them — does not inspire confidence in their best efforts or good intentions.
Moreover, it is also 100% in the IDF’s best strategic interest to claim that civilian deaths are unavoidable. I also suspect there are some hot heads who actively want to kill civilians as vengeance or a terror tactic, to make Palestinians lose hope.
Yes, I am in full agreement. Though I will say I think that Israel has a “quiet majority” right now that has been severely shocked into, basically, just seeing red. As an American, I have felt this before. It becomes almost impossible to heartfully criticize the extremists when you have that feeling of pain inside of you, I have tremendous admiration for those that can. It dissipates, but it takes time.
It basically gives the extremists license to drive the bus for awhile though.
I can only hope the Israeli people come to their senses before its too late. I personally am not in any kind of position to shame them though, because I know exactly how they feel.
I think 9/11 is a great analogy. The lesson I draw from that period, however, is that we cannot let bloodlust win. Hundreds of thousands dead, $8 trillion spent, for nothing.
The editor of the Jewish Current makes the same analogy in his article Have We Learned Nothing?
Now is not the time to abandon nuance, but neither is it the time to be too “understanding” of Israel’s bloodlust, because their overwhelming advantage in power and resources over Palestinians means an alarming potential for abuse.
Well said. Our political approach to trying to help can potentially be counter-productive, though.
While this is as political as a problem can get, the root is emotional trauma. Damage to the millions of individual physical bodies. Perhaps a better approach, instead of coming at it more as citizens, perhaps more as doctors?
Do I have to go to med school first…?