As the Israeli Defense Force continues with its thus-far exceptionally precise and comparatively humane effort to rid the Gaza Strip of the murderous thugs who have rained unguided anti-personnel rockets on civilian targets, the predictable and tedious cries about "proportionate" responses have risen like flies from carrion. Like many commentators, I am left scratching my head as to what exactly would constitute a "proportionate" response to Hamas' campaign to kill as many Jews as it can, with the explicitly avowed end of eradicating the Jewish State. Targeted assassinations of terrorists and murderers are decried as craven murder. Bombing of known strongholds and weapons caches is vilified for the accidental casualties incurred among the civilians among whom those weapons (which are themselves deliberately aimed at civilians) are stored. The destruction of Mosques raises especially strident cries of "war crime!" among those for whom Israel is invariably portrayed as the default villain. Places of worship are supposed to be sanctuaries where humans seek the higher callings of their better natures, after all...
What then are we to make of the below-embedded video depicting the destruction of a Gazan Mosque? It is no secret that, like many religious texts, the Koran contains a number of explosive passages. However, this may be an example of scriptural literalism raised to an unusually direct level.
2 comments:
I almost can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually agree with you here.
As you know, I think the founding of Israel was a mistake made as an emotional response to the atrocities of the holocaust. However, given that it already exists, and given the situation on the ground over there, this is the appropriate response, it's being handled remarkably well, and it's long overdue.
Further, unlike in Lebanon, the aims of this campaign are very well established and reasonable and it is therefore very likely to succeed.
I still see no long term solutions in the area, but in the short term, the missiles need to be reduced dramatically and they most likely will be.
P.S. Happy New Year!
I'll begin where you ended: Happy New Year, brother!! May this year be filled with new adventures, and may they bear bountiful fruit for you and yours. I look forwrd to tilting many pints and talking of many things in April!
As for the topic of the post: It is noteworthy that two blokes who differ as strongly on the question of origins could arrive at similar conclusions about the current situation. I have been thoroughly impressed with the adroitness and precision of the IDF campaign in Gaza, and agree that it possesses a focus and discipline which the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict of '06 ultimately lacked. The quality of the intelligence which guides the current conflict is truly superb, and demonstrative of the degree to which the IDF has learned the hard lessons of '06.
I watch with great interest as the ground offensive unfolds, and thus far have seen nothing which indicates that the IDF is fumbling the ball. Let's just hope that they can achieve their objectives swiftly and with minimal casualties among their military and the civilians of Gaza, before the inevitably anti-Israeli slant of world opinion begins to bite.
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