The situation in Israel and Palestine is just so sad that I don't really want to blog about it, but there is so much over-simplification going on that I really think it's time to talk about the complexities. So here goes.
1. Countries that are attacked have a right to defend themselves by attacking back. Hamas lobs rockets into Israel. Israel has a right to defend itself by attacking back.
2. Attacking back should be done in a commensurate way -- not with, for example, force that leads to total annihilation. Whether Israel is attacking back with measured force as opposed to excessive force is unclear.
3. Fighting a just war was a much easier concept when armies lined up opposite each other on battlefields, wore uniforms, and generally separated the civilians from the combatants.
4. Dropping leaflets to warn civilians to get out of harm's way could be a just action, but if the civilians have no where to go, then the humanitarian-inspired effort gets turned on its head and becomes malign.
5. Fighting the terrorist organization that has taken control of Gaza is really hard, but doing so is necessary (but certainly not sufficient) for Israeli national security, at least for the short term.
6. Unfortunately, though, destroying supply tunnels that bring arms into Gaza and weakening the Hamas leadership is likely to have only temporary positive effects for Israel. In the short run, fewer missiles will hit Sderot and Ashkelon. In the long run, the effect my be negative as the military action wins more hearts and minds for Hamas -- not only among the Palestinians, but also in the world at large.
7. Using the civilian population as human shields by intentionally placing military posts, rocket launchers, and other materiel in neighborhoods and in places where there are likely to be a lot of civilians ought to be considered a war crime.
8. "Winning" a war does not necessarily mean that peace has come.
Someone really ought to write "Just War Theory for Guerilla Warfare and Terrorism." Not me, though.
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