11-02-2023, 03:21 PM
You cannot compare the activities of a terrorist group that needs to be eliminated with those of a democratic state that needs to be preserved. Measuring them with the same parameters, differentiating only on "who started it first" is counterproductive and defeats the premise from the previous sentence. Looking back at 3000 years of history is also ridiculous, there were so many movements of so many peoples around the world that many geographic areas could be claimed by many different players, depending on the time period you choose (as was the most recently case in the Balkans). Also, the norms of behavior have changed significantly over time.
So, what should Israel do instead of exacting vengeance while killing enormous numbers of civilians?
1. Focus on defense of the border with Gaza, so that October 7 can never be repeated
2. Slowly, over time, eliminate terrorist leaders and cells when it is not expected
3. Separate Hamas from political support
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/01/opinions/...index.html
4. Stop colonization of West Bank
The US should support all defensive activities, providing surveillance equipment, intelligence information, and Iron Dome components. But not any offensive weapons until the onslaught on civilians is halted and guaranteed not to happen again. Unfortunately, US itself is not too concerned with civilians if they are set on eliminating a high-value enemy leader, as some drone attacks have demonstrated in the past. But supporting onslaught at this level is untenable.
So, what should Israel do instead of exacting vengeance while killing enormous numbers of civilians?
1. Focus on defense of the border with Gaza, so that October 7 can never be repeated
2. Slowly, over time, eliminate terrorist leaders and cells when it is not expected
3. Separate Hamas from political support
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/01/opinions/...index.html
4. Stop colonization of West Bank
The US should support all defensive activities, providing surveillance equipment, intelligence information, and Iron Dome components. But not any offensive weapons until the onslaught on civilians is halted and guaranteed not to happen again. Unfortunately, US itself is not too concerned with civilians if they are set on eliminating a high-value enemy leader, as some drone attacks have demonstrated in the past. But supporting onslaught at this level is untenable.