The whole damn Jewish world uses the response that “Hamas is using human shields” as a moral Get Out of Jail Free card. When civilians die, Israel is just at fault as Hamas.
Israel is responsible for their direct killing, Hamas responsible for their being in the crosshairs, Israel for using bombs in civilian centers, Hamas for hiding in civilian centers, Israel for disproportionate use of force, Hamas for firing rockets with impunity, Hamas for calling off a renewed ceasefire, Israel for refusing the terms of Hamas’ ceasefire offer, Hamas for breaking the ceasefire with rockets, Israel for breaking the ceasefire on Nov. 4th, Hamas for…
We can put as big a context as we choose to see around any event.
The culpability is equal when two forces choose to stare each other down and play chicken with civilians’ lives. Israel is just as at fault as Hamas for the deaths of those civilians. Israel chose to accept civilian deaths as collateral. Worse, Israel is counting on civilian suffering to loosen the power of Hamas. This is a big game of chicken. It’s childish.
Israel never has the moral high ground when it uses civilian suffering as a tool of statecraft. And I’ve never made that parallel before. But in this situation, it’s apt.
[Editor's Note: This post had one sentence struck due to it's ease in misrepresenting me and my opinions. I aim to speak my mind, but not provide slander for others to claim that I put the IDF and Hamas on equal footing. That is not my opinion and never in anything have I said have I done so.]
You should really look at the opinions on BoingBoing — they did an open thread on Gaza a few days ago and it really created a lot of response.
“but not provide slander for others to -claim- that I put the IDF and Hamas on equal footing”
Claim? Uhm… but you did.
Thanks for visiting, m.
One line was excerpted and forwarded as proof that I am anti-Israel. I fight for a two-state, negotiated solution with a secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state, with as minimal use of violence as possible. I abhor civilians deaths and suffering. Particularly because it builds support for the extremists. I am not anti-Israel by any stretch.
Let me clarify my point lest you still harbor confusion:
Neither Hamas nor Israel come out of Cast Lead looking anything like heroes. Hamas had been targeting civilians for years. Olmert and Barak chose a scope of armament that killed (at the most conservative estimates, say by the IDF) a hundred times more Palestinians than Israelis. To me, the ends don’t justify the means. Just because we’re fighting Hamas doesn’t liberate us from morality.